Braves eliminated after loss to Mets
Braves general manager Frank Wren doesn’t know what the immediate future holds for him and his struggling team.
Atlanta was eliminated from the playoff race on Sunday after a 10-2 loss to the New York Mets. Trailing Washington by just a half-game July 29, the Braves are now 15 games behind the NL East champion Nationals.
Wren, who’s under contract through next season, would not say whether he believes the organization will undergo major changes in the front office or on the field with seven games remaining.
“It’s disappointing,” Wren told the Associated Press. “I think we had a club we thought could go into the postseason and have a good chance because of our pitching.”
The Braves won the NL East last year, their first division title since 2005, but they couldn’t overcome a strikeout-prone offense that went 8-60 when scoring two runs or less.
Atlanta has gone 4-14 record in September, a meltdown that compares to the collapse of 2011, when they went 9-18 in the final month, blew an 8-game wild-card lead and were eliminated on the last day.
“We haven’t performed,” Wren said. “Especially the last month.”
L.A. Dodgers 8, Chicago Cubs 5: Matt Kemp homered and had four RBI, Yasiel Puig scored a career-high four times and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers used six pitchers to beat the Chicago Cubs 8-5.
Washington 2, Miami 1: Stephen Strasburg pitched seven strong innings to help lead the NL-leading Washington Nationals to a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins, completing a four-game sweep.
Nate Schierholtz and Anthony Rendon drove in runs for the Nationals (91-64), who have won eight of nine and lead the Los Angeles Dodgers (88-67) for the best record in the National League.
Strasburg (13-11) allowed three hits and two walks.
Texas 2, L.A. Angels 1: Ryan Rua hit his first major league homer, connecting off Huston Street in the ninth inning as the Texas Rangers beat the playoff-bound Los Angeles Angels 2-1 for their eighth win in nine games.
Kansas City 5, Detoit 2: Nori Aoki hit a two-run triple, helping Jeremy Guthrie and the Kansas City Royals hold their AL wild-card spot by beating the Detroit Tigers 5-2.
The Royals avoided a three-game sweep and moved within 1 1/2 games of the AL Central-leading Tigers.
Chicago White Sox 10, Tampa Bay 5: Avisail Garcia hit two home runs, John Danks took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and the Chicago White Sox beat Tampa Bay 10-5 in the Rays’ home finale.
Cleveland 7, Minnesota 2: Corey Kluber struck out a career-high 14 hitters for the second straight start and the Cleveland Indians didn’t lose any ground in the playoff chase with a 7-2 win over the Minnesota Twins.
Michael Bourn and Michael Brantley each had three hits for the Indians, who have won five of six.