LEADING OFF: Vlad takes his cuts, Braves hit the road
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays wrap up their four-game series at Yankee Stadium, a day after the slugger put on quite a performance despite a nasty gashAPRIL 14, 2022•ASSOCIATED PRESS
Austin Riley - Slugs second homerRiley went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Nationals.
ImpactThe third baseman ruined Washington's shutout bid in the sixth inning by taking Kyle Finnegan deep, but it was the only offense Atlanta could muster on the afternoon. Riley is batting .333 (8-for-24) through seven games to begin the season with two homers, five RBI and five runs scored.
APRIL 13, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Josiah Gray and an efficient bullpen lift Nats to series win over BravesWashington wraps up its three-game set in Atlanta with a 3-1 win, earning a series victory over the defending World Series champions.
APRIL 13, 2022•WASHINGTONPOST.COM
Tanner Rainey - Notches second saveRainey gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to record his second save of the season in Wednesday's 3-1 win over Atlanta.
ImpactThe right-hander did give up a two-out single to Austin Riley to make things interesting, but Rainey is two-for-two in save chances to begin the season. As long as he keeps getting the job done, Nationals manager Dave Martinez will keep turning to him in the ninth, but Rainey still has a little more work to do before he can be considered the team's true closer.
APRIL 13, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Josiah Gray - Sharp in win over AtlantaGray (1-1) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing only one hit and three walks over five scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory over Atlanta. He struck out five.
ImpactAfter a rough start to the season against the Mets, Gray rebounded in impressive fashion. The right-hander fired 50 of 82 pitches for strikes, and Atlanta didn't get a runner past second base until Gray was out of the game. The 24-year-old will take a 4.00 ERA and 10:5 K:BB through nine innings into his next start, scheduled for Monday at home against the Diamondbacks.
APRIL 13, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Schultz: Braves head west, looking forward to 'dull routine' of just playing baseballIt's time for normalcy as the Braves head ring- and pageantry-free to the West Coast for series against the Padres and Dodgers.
APRIL 13, 2022•THEATHLETIC.COM
Who could supplant Wander Franco as MLB's youngest player?
Tampa Bay's Wander Franco is an established MLB star at age 21. So Jordan Shusterman goes in search of baseball's next phenom?APRIL 13, 2022
