Instead, they suffered their most crushing loss of the season, 4-3, as the last-place Braves completed the three-game sweep.
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“I was able to make pitches when I needed to, and if they hit the ball, they just hit it right at guys”, he said. I always think I’m the best choice.
“He didn’t need to explain that to me”.
Afterward, a distraught Cespedes only answered one question, according to ESPN’s Adam Rubin, saying, “I knew I hit the ball well. I don’t deserve any explanation from the manager”.
Mark Teixeira hit a solo shot in the fourth for NY, which was swept in a four-game series at Boston last weekend and had lost seven of eight overall.
Their opponents, the New York Mets, are in the thick of the NL wild-card race, and veteran right fielder Jay Bruce may not have any time left to snap out of a almost two-month slump.
Mets: Rookie LHP Steven Matz (shoulder) threw a bullpen and is tentatively scheduled to start Friday night against Philadelphia, assuming he feels fine Thursday.
LESTER SHAKES IT OFF: Joey Votto’s hard-hit comebacker struck Jon Lester and ricocheted toward first as the left-hander doubled over. This season, he’s pitching well and has knocked out a homerun and some important hits.
“I got nothing left. Right now is not that time”, he said. “I don’t need it”. September to remember is not the past two games against the Braves, and though they handled the Twins in three games this past weekend, who are the worst team in baseball, these two losses to the Braves would already have the Giants and Cardinals surpassing the Mets in this wild of wild card races.
The Cubs, who wrapped up the NL Central last week, are trying to find the right balance of staying sharp while getting rest and avoiding injury before the postseason. Although, that might not be for long if the Dodgers beat the Giants on Wednesday night.
“We’re playing like we’re fighting for the division”, he said. The teams began the day in a three-way tie for the league’s final two playoff spots.
Ryan Zimmerman hit a three-run homer and Trea Turner also homered for the Nationals.
Acquired from Arizona along with Swanson and Ender Inciarte in December’s trade that sent Shelby Miller to the Diamondbacks, Blair had been 0-6 with an 8.23 ERA in his first 12 big league starts, including 0-2 in three outings against the Mets.
Blister issues delayed Hill’s debut with the Dodgers for nearly a month after he was acquired from Oakland at the August 1 trade deadline. Colon surrendered a one-out single to Nick Markakis, followed by a two-run blast to ex-Met Anthony Recker, trimming the Mets’ lead to 3-2. Boston pulled five games ahead of Toronto and six in front of Baltimore.
Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (bruised right knee), third baseman Chase Headley (back spasms) and second baseman Starlin Castro (strained right hamstring) were all out of the lineup for the second straight game.
Happ was the patient beneficiary when the Jays took the lead with an eight-run fourth inning.
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“Strikeouts don’t matter to me”, he said. At 21 years, 212 days, Marquez was the second-youngest pitcher in Rockies’ history to earn his first win. Inciarte reached on an error in the eighth, scored the tying run, and won the game for the Braves by robbing Cespedes of a game winning three run homer.
