Soto hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning, and Washington beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 Thursday night in the deciding matchup of a
three-game interleague series between neighboring rivals.Soto, a 19-year-old rookie, is batting .326 with 16 RBIs in 28 games. Starting in the cleanup spot for the first time, he drew a walk and delivered
the game’s pivotal hit.”I think we’re all amazed every single day,” Washington ace Max Scherzer said. ”He puts together great ABs. He has antics and has some flair. He’s a
great young player. He’s just enjoying himself.”Bryce Harper led off the eighth with a double off Mychal Givens (0-4) and Trea Turner followed with a single. After Anthony Rendon struck out, Soto hit a
liner into the gap in left-center.”He’s got unbelievable poise,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said of Soto. ”No matter what the situation is, he goes out there with a game plan.”Whatever that plan is, it’s effective.”I just try to be focused and keep working,” Soto said.Rendon homered for the Nationals Deshaun Watson Jersey , who received seven strong innings from Scherzer and flawless work from their bullpen.Newcomer Kelvin Herrera (1-0) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning and Sean Doolittle got three straight outs for his 20th save in 21 tries.Seeking to end a rare run of two straight losses, Scherzer left a tied game after allowing two runs – both on solo homers – and striking out nine.Afterward, the right-hander heaped praise upon Soto for the manner in which he’s adapted to playing in the big leagues.”He has a great feel for the strike zone,” Scherzer said. ”To have that type of eye, it’s remarkable for him to be able to do that at this time and this age
and this level.”Activated from the 60-day disabled list before the game, Colby Rasmus homered for the Orioles in his first at-bat since April 6.”Me and Max, we go way back, so I felt real good,” said Rasmus, who had been sidelined with a hip injury.In addition, Rasmus made an outstanding throw from right field to the plate, nailing Wilmer Difo on a tag-up play in the seventh inning with the score
tied.Mark Trumbo also homered for Baltimore, his sixth of the season and third in four games.Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman gave up two runs and four hits over six innings. The right-hander was lifted with the score tied Marshall Newhouse Jersey , leaving him winless in his last seven starts.WALK THIS WAYMartinez put Harper in the leadoff spot for the first time since May for this reason: ”The thinking is if he’s hitting up top, he’ll start taking his walks
again and it will get him going.” It worked. Harper walked twice.DAVIS COMEBACKStruggling Orioles slugger Chris Davis will start Friday night in Atlanta, manager Buck Showalter said. Davis hasn’t played since June 11, when an 0-for-5
outing against Boston dropped his batting average to .150. Since then, he’s been
working on his swing and mental approach in an effort to turn around his
unproductive season.ROSTER SHUFFLEIn addition to activating Rasmus from the DL, the Orioles optioned OF Joey Rickard to Triple-A Norfolk and moved LHP Richard Bleier (latissimus tear) to
the 60-day DL. Also, DH Pedro Alvarez cleared waivers and accepted an assignment
to Norfolk.TRAINER’S ROOMOrioles: RHP Chris Tillman (back) will next pitch for Class A Delmarva after allowing three runs in two innings for lower Class A Aberdeen on Wednesday
night.Nationals: RHP Brandon Kintzler (flexor strain) is close to coming off the DL. Martinez hopes the reliever can pitch an inning on a rehabilitation
assignment before being is activated. … Martinez said RHP Jeremy Hellickson
(right hamstring strain) will soon go on a rehab assignment and pitch five or
six innings.UP NEXTOrioles: Alex Cobb (2-9, 7.14 ERA) helps Baltimore open a three-game series on the road Friday night against the Braves, who lead the NL East.Nationals: Tanner Roark (3-7, 3.87) takes the mound in the opener of a three-game set against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, who entered play
Thursday in a second-place tie with Washington.—Blake Martinez gathered his fellow inside linebackers together after a tough day at Green Bay Packers practice.It’s difficult to see two key members of the defense go down with injuries on just the fourth day of training camp.Inside linebacker Jake Ryan, one of the team’s top run defenders, was carted off the field late in practice Monday with an apparent right leg injury.
Kentrell Brice AJ McCarron Jersey , a potential starter at safety, was carted off the field during a special teams drill, though the type of injury was unclear.”Oh, man. That was bad, man. You hate to see that, especially as a player. That’s your brother,” safety Josh Jones said when asked about Brice.Practice ended up being cut short early because of the threat of lightning. The injuries dampened the mood in the locker room.Back inside Lambeau Field, Martinez gathered the rest of his position group together. Martinez (158) and Ryan (89) led the team in tackles last season.After third-year pro Martinez and Ryan, who is in his fourth year, rookies fill the inside linebacker depth chart. Martinez called a position meeting to
get everyone refocused.”It just comes down to `What are we going to do now?”’ Martinez said in recounting his message. ”Or whatever your mindset is, what are you going to do
to get better every day?”Oren Burks, a third-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt, might play a bigger role if Ryan misses significant time. Burks played inside linebacker in college
last season after taking on a hybrid linebacker/safety role as a junior. He
played free safety as a sophomore.The Packers are also making changes on defense after Mike Pettine replaced Dom Capers as coordinator. Martinez said that he’ll be checking on the rookies
constantly to make sure they are up to speed.”I know my goals for this season John Elway Jersey , our team goals for this season and I’m not going to let one injury kind of ruin that for us,” he said.Brice appeared in line to take a starting job at safety following the offseason departure of veteran Morgan Burnett, who signed with the Pittsburgh
Steelers as a free agent. Brice played six games with three starts last year
before going on injured reserve with an ankle injury on Nov. 3. He played in all
16 games with one start as a rookie.Coach Mike McCarthy likes Brice for his positional versatility, a trait that has become more important on defenses to help keep up with expanding passing
attacks. The Packers are still deep at safety, where promising second-year
player Jones might get more snaps if Brice misses a lot of time.The defense must move on, as hard as that might be to do after a trying day.”It’s kind of tough. You just do it because it’s part of your job. But in the back of your head, it’s always there though,” said cornerback Demetri Goodson,
who came back from a serious knee injury earlier in his career.Notes: Rookie CB Jaire Alexander picked off QB Aaron Rodgers over the middle during play action drills. The interception came two plays after Rodgers hit
tight end Jimmy Graham in stride up the seam on a pretty pass for a big gain. …
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix intercepted Rodgers during a two-minute drill on a short
pass over the middle that was tipped by Martinez. … RB Aaron Jones hopes to
return to practice no later than Thursday. He said he tweaked his hamstring at
practice on Saturday.— Robert Williams Jersey
