Offtopic » The Atlanta Braves have built a 7 1/2-game

ATLANTA — lead in the National League East thanks to 42-21 record within the division and a 45-30 overall road record — the best in the league.Now the Braves (82-64) can wrap up the division title by turning SunTrust Park into a real home-field advantage during their final homestand beginning Friday night. Atlanta Dellin Betances Jersey , just 37-34 in its home ballpark, welcomes Washington and St. Louis for three games each, then Philadelphia for four games before playing the final week of the regular season on the road against the New York Mets and Phillies.Article continues below ...Just a few weeks ago, it looked like the NL East race might go right to the wire. But the Phillies (74-71) fell on hard times and the Nationals (74-73) didn’t get things turned around quite fast enough.“We’ve worked hard to get to this point,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday after his team completed a 6-1 road trip by allowing just three total runs in a three-game sweep at San Francisco. “We’ve grinded through things to get to this position. We can look to bigger things now.”The Braves’ magic number for clinching the division title with 16 games to go is 10 versus the second-place Phillies and eight versus Washington, which fell 8 1/2 games behind with a 4-3 loss in 10 innings to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in a makeup game at home. The Braves are 5-2 at home and 9-7 overall against the Nationals, who will pitch defending two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer in the series opener. He is 17-6 with a 2.31 ERA and leads the major leagues with 271 strikeouts.Fellow right-hander Kevin Gausman will get the start for Atlanta, which lost at least 90 games each of the past three seasons before turning things around this season. He is 9-10 with a 3.89 ERA overall but 4-2 with a 2.32 ERA since being acquired by the Braves at the end of July. Scherzer is coming into his fifth start of the season against Atlanta off his second complete game of the season. Gausman will face the Nationals for the first time with the Braves after his shortest outing for his new team.Gausman lasted just 4 2/3 innings and allowed four runs in a loss at Arizona a day before Scherzer struck out 11 in nine innings in a home victory over the Chicago Cubs.“I had plenty in the tank,” Scherzer said after reaching double-figure strikeouts for the 16th time this season.Scherzer is 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 27 innings against Atlanta this season, improving to 9-6 with a 3.45 ERA in 21 career games versus the Braves.Gausman is 3-1 with a 4.34 ERA in five career outings against Washington, all while with Baltimore. He allowed four hits and two runs in six innings of a no-decision against the Nationals for the Orioles in June.Braves third baseman Johan Camargo is nursing a slight groin strain, but fill-in Charlie Culberson has flourished against the Nationals this season, batting .350 (14-for-40) with five homers and eight RBIs. Culberson has four hits, including a homer Matt Holliday Jersey , in 10 at-bats against Scherzer. BOSTON — David Price is less than two weeks away from his latest attempt at shedding his career albatross.Price, the Boston Red Sox’s likely Game 2 starter in the American League Division Series against either the New York Yankees or Oakland A’s, is 2-8 lifetime in the postseason. But both of those wins have come in relief, where the left-hander has done some dynamic work over the years.There has been talk — all from the outside — of Price again working out of the pen, but he appears to be on track to start that second game at Fenway Park Oct. 6.Article continues below ...First, a couple of tune-ups, with Price facing the Baltimore Orioles in the second game of a four-game series at Fenway Tuesday night.Monday night, the Red Sox recorded their team-record 106th win and locked up homefield advantage throughout the postseason with a 6-2 win over Baltimore.His last time out, Price, who has more trouble pitching in Yankee Stadium than he does anywhere else, suffered his first loss since the All-Star break, allowing three homers in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the Yankees.That dropped Price to 5-1 since the break.“I didn’t make as good of pitches, especially later on in the count,” Price said that night. “I left some balls up and they did what you’re supposed to do with those pitches. Anytime you give up a home run it’s frustrating http://www.yankeesfanproshop.com/authentic-austin-romine-jersey , but everybody is playing in the same park. It’s not like the fences move back when they hit or move forward when they hit. So it’s part of it.”Price, 15-7 with a 3.53 ERA overall on the season, is 2-0 against the Orioles this season — two earned runs, 18 strikeouts in 15 innings — and 14-5 with a 2.67 ERA in 27 career starts against the Birds.Nathan Eovaldi, in line to start Game 4 of the ALDS for Boston, was the winner Monday, saying, “I definitely feel like we’re the team to beat.”As far as the club breaking a record that was set in 1912, manager Alex Cora said, “It’s unreal. You think about the history of the game and the history of this franchise. To be part of this, I can’t even explain it. Obviously it’s something where we should call timeout and enjoy this one.”The Orioles named Jimmy Yacabonis as their Tuesday starter after Monday night’s loss was their 111th, which ties the 1939 St. Louis Browns for the most in franchise history. Sean Gilmartin was another candidate, but he worked four innings in relief Monday night after Dylan Bundy only pitched three innings.Adam Jones, who refused a deal that could have sent him to a contender at the trade deadline Reggie Jackson Jersey , electing to play out his contract with the Orioles, was in left field Monday night — his first time at the position since Sept. 30, 2007. He was a Seattle Mariner at the time.Afterward, the veteran said, “It’s coming to an end here. The season ends. My contract ends. I’m an optimistic person. You never know what could happen. You always got to keep your options open.”All-day rain is predicted in Boston Tuesday, with a split double-header set for Wednesday if there is a rainout.Yefry Ramirez, in line to start Wednesday’s finale, won’t make that appearance because of a cut on his hand. The Orioles are hoping to see him pitch before Sunday’s season finale.The current Orioles don’t have great numbers against Price. Tim Beckham is 2-for-14 (.143), Jonathan Villar 2-for-12 (.167), Trey Mancini 3-for-13 (.231) and Jones 17-for-72 (.236). Chris Davis is hitting .256 (11-for-43) and has two homers but also has 20 strikeouts against Price.The Red Sox are 15-2 against the Orioles this season.