Because the Mets’ offense is built around home runs, it tends to come and go in spurts.

But when it goes, it doesn’t tend to stray for long. Less than a day after the Mets mustered one hit in a loss to the Braves, they bludgeoned four home runs to back Steven Matz in an 8-0 victory at Citi Field, winning their sixth consecutive series. It had been a full decade since the Mets last scored six series wins in a row.
Lucas Duda’s pair of homers highlighted the scoring off Braves starter Jhoulys Chacin, who also served up two-run shots to Rene Rivera and Asdrubal Cabrera in 4 2/3 innings.
That provided plenty of cushion once again for Matz, who has enjoyed the most free-flowing run support of any Mets starter. Improving to 4-0 with a 0.67 ERA since a seven-run clunker in his season debut, Matz has received 35 runs of support over his last four starts. The Mets have outscored their opponents 31-1 while Matz has been an active pitcher in those games.
Once again, the long ball was the Mets’ preferred method of attack. Rivera’s two-run shot in the second inning gave the Mets their first lead, and they never looked back from there. An inning later, Cabrera and Duda hit two-run shots over a four-batter span to put the game mostly out of reach. Duda hit his second homer of the game, a solo shot, in the fifth.
Everything Chacin has provided through this season’s first month has been gravy for the Braves, who were simply taking a chance that the veteran pitcher was healthy when he signed a Minor League deal this winter. But as Chacin surrendered a career-high four home runs, including three two-run shots within a span of seven batters, he at least provided reason to wonder how long he is capable of being a reliable option in the rotation. If he is removed at some point within the next month, the Braves could promote Tyrell Jenkins or Lucas Sims to fill the spot.
All but unhittable in his previous three starts, Matz still managed to save some of his best work for the Braves. The left-hander retired eight straight batters to open the game, then another 11 in a row after Chacin singled with two outs in the third. Working for the most part with a multi-run lead, he needed 106 pitches to complete 7 2/3 innings.
Aaron Blair will oppose Zack Greinke when Atlanta opens a three-game series against the D-backs on Friday at 6:35 p.m CT. Blair was a top prospect in the D-backs’ organization before the Braves acquired him in the blockbuster deal that sent Shelby Miller to Arizona in December.

Iowa’s Dan Vogelbach hit a grand slam and the Cubs beat the Nashville Sounds, 8-4, before 6,358 fans Wednesday afternoon at First Tennessee Park.

Joey Wendle wasted no time giving the Sounds an early lead. The second baseman belted a leadoff home run off Iowa starter Jake Buchanan in the bottom of the first inning. It was Wendle’s fourth home run of the season.

Nashville starter Eric Surkamp cruised through the first five innings but found immediate trouble in the sixth when Albert Almora Jr. started the inning with a single to center.

Surkamp then issued back-to-back walks to Willson Contreras and Taylor Davis to load the bases. Manager Steve Scarsone turned to Ryan Brasier in relief with the bases loaded and nobody out.

Brasier struck out Arismendy Alcantara to start his day, but then Vogelbach lifted an opposite field grand slam to give the Cubs a 4-1 lead as the rain began to fall at First Tennessee Park.

Brasier struck out Juan Perez for the second out in the inning but then issued two more walks and allowed a run-scoring single to John Andreoli.

Buchanan settled in after the leadoff homer by Wendle. Nashville put runners at the corners with one out in the third but he worked out of the jam by getting Renato Nunez to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play.

Down 7-2 going into the bottom of eighth, the Sounds made noise and cut into the deficit. Max Muncy and Renato Nunez started the inning with back-to-back singles and quickly advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch.

Muncy scored on a throwing error by Cubs’ third baseman Logan Watkins and Nunez scored on a double by Matt Olson.

They squandered a golden opportunity to get more when they had runners at second and third with nobody out but couldn’t push any more runs across.

Nashville put two runners on in the ninth but Brandon Gomes got Jake Smolinski to pop out for the final out. Buchanan picked up his first win of the season and Surkamp was charged with the loss.

The series finale is set for Thursday night at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander Henderson Alvarez will start for the Sounds on a MLB rehab assignment. The Cubs have not announced a starter. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

The 2016 season is the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

2016 Coffee County soccer seniors and coaches. (Left to right) Assistant coach Nick Hibdon, Siwakon Kraitheerawut, Nick Hough, Christian Parks, head coach Robert Harper(in back), David Fernandez, Victor Ramirez and assistant coach Andy Escue

The Coffee County Central High School soccer team celebrated Senior Night on Tuesday with a 3 to 0 win over Warren County at the Raider Soccer Field. Paco Barrera got goals in the 21st and 80th minutes and Chase Harper added a goal in the 53rd minute to close out the regular season on a positive note headed into the postseason.
On a night that featured sharp passing from the Red Raiders, it was a nice assist by Breyer Taylor that set up the goal that proved to be the game winner. Barrera nailed a shot from the top of the 18 yard box off an accurate through pass from Breyer Taylor in the 21st minute to give the Raiders a 1 to 0 lead they would take into the halftime break.
Chase Harper added a beautiful goal in the 53rd minute off a one on one scrum in front of the net with the Warren County keeper. Harper was able to settle the ball at his feet when the keeper deflected Harper’s first shot. Harper kept control of the ball, stepped around the prone keeper and found the back of the net.
Barrera added his second goal in the final minute off a feed from Leo Botello on a Raider counter attack to close out the scoring. Keeper John Parigger was strong between the pipes as he turned away every Warren County shot for the shutout win. Unofficially, Parigger finished with 7 saves, including 5 in the 2nd half.

The Raiders open district tournament play on Saturday when they host Lawrence County at the Raider’s home pitch. The opening kickoff is set for 11 AM.

Grace Spellings(seated 3rd from left) signs her college volleyball scholarship with Hiwassee as family and coaches look on. Front Row(left to right) Vicky Spellings, George Spellings, Grace Spellings, Dawn Spellings, Ed Birthright, Clare Spellings. Back Row(left to right) Coach Andrew Taylor-Coffee County head coach, Coach Bryan Woodlief – Hiwassee, Coach Stan Jarrell – Coffee County assistant coach and Cursten Vaughn – Coffee County assistant coach

Coffee County senior volleyball player Grace Spellings signed a college scholarship with Hiwassee College on Tuesday in a ceremony at CHS. Spellings became the first Lady Raider to sign a college scholarship since Jessica White in 2007 and only the second Lady Raider in the 10 year history of the program.
Hiwassee College is a private, four-year, liberal arts college located in Madisonville, Tennessee and competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), playing in the Mid-East Region.
The Tigers are coached by Bryan Woodlief who begins his first year as the head coach of the volleyball program. Coach Woodlief was impressed with Grace’s height in a recent tryout on campus in when Grace was invited to the campus. “She is tall and a left-handed hitter which we are in need of.” Coach Woodlief went on to say that with only 4 returning players, Spellings would have opportunities to win a starting job this fall. “We expect to use Grace as both a middle and outside hitter” added Woodlief.
Grace said that she liked the campus and the community feeling of Hiwassee. “The campus is pretty and had a small town feel” said Spellings when asked what she liked about the college. “They(Hiwassee) found me and sought me out for a tryout and that was a special feeling” added Spellings. Spellings was also excited about rooming with fellow freshman Trystan Lynn from Shelbyville who is also a part of the Tigers’ recruiting class.
Coffee County head coach Andrew Taylor praised Spellings for her work ethic and athleticism. “Grace is a hard worker and an excellent jumper” said Taylor when asked what would make her a success at the college level. “Grace is also very versatile and can be used in the middle or on the outside” added Taylor.

Pete Weber’s Postgame Report

Pekka Rinne

Four unanswered goals and another solid performance from their all-world goaltender led to a 4-1 victory in Game Three for the Nashville Predators over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result cut the San Jose series lead to 2-1 and forces a Game Five on Saturday night in California (9 p.m. CT on NBCSN).

Nashville built on what they did in a Game Two loss – a contest that brought plenty of confidence to the team despite the result – and bumped things up a notch back home.

“Our guys have played hard,” Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “The only game that we look back on where we say that we weren’t on our toes and ready to jump was Game Three in the First Round, and that happens sometimes. You just don’t have the stuff. Game One we had it, and it was a tough break with the power-play goal that they scored. Their building kind of took over from there. Game Two, I liked the way we played, and Game Three, I liked the way we played. I think our guys are playing pretty good hockey right now.”

Patrick Marleau tallied the first goal of the contest at 13:13 of the opening stanza when he beat Pekka Rinne for a 1-0 lead that carried into the first intermission. But that was it from Rinne, who finished with 26 saves on the night.

After James Neal was high-sticked early in the second, the winger got revenge. Mattias Ekholm found Neal at the bottom of the right circle on the ensuing power play, and No. 18 in Gold one-timed a shot past Martin Jones to even the score and ignite the Bridgestone Arena crowd.

Then, it was the Captain’s turn. Weber pounced on a loose puck at the top of the San Jose slot and wired it past Jones for his third goal of the playoffs and a 2-1 Nashville lead. With the goal, Weber tied former Preds forward David Legwand for the most postseason goals in franchise history with 13.

Colin Wilson gave the Preds some insurance at 6:55 of the third period, when he got a fortuitous bounce off the end boards and slammed the puck into a yawning cage for a 3-1 lead. The second Preds power-play goal of the night came with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, as Filip Forsberg masterfully picked the top corner and sealed a Game Three victory for his club.

Nashville got the win they were looking for on Tuesday, and with that, an added boost of confidence to take into at least two more games.

“The biggest thing that can come might be frustration or mental block,” Weber said. “I think we made a good point to talk about it this morning. and it’s going to come. We’ve just got to keep doing the right things, getting men to the front of the net and it’s going to find a way in.”

A scary moment in the third period manifested into one final boost of energy on a night where the Nashville Predators fed off of their home crowd and buried their opponent.

Forward Colton Sissons gained the puck and skated toward the San Jose net on a partial break in the final frame, only to be taken down hard into the goal post. Sissons needed assistance leaving the ice, but much to the awe of his teammates, returned just a few moments later to provide another spark to his club on the way to victory.

While the initial moment was frightening for Sissons, he quickly realized his return was imminent.

“It was just in a lot of pain right away; it kind of wrapped around the post a little bit,” Sissons said. “It didn’t feel good right away, but it settled down and I was able to get back out there.”

Pontus Aberg skated in Game Three for the Preds, making his NHL debut. The forward registered two hits in 8:27 of ice time.

“[Aberg], I thought, came in and gave us some good speed,” Laviolette said. “He was a good player for Milwaukee down the stretch. He brings speed and skill, and this is a fast game right now against San Jose. I thought he did a good job. I don’t think he had too many minutes, but I think, in saying that, it’s his first game in the National Hockey League. That can be a little bit overwhelming to come into our building with the energy that’s in here, it’s his first playoff game, and we’re down 0-2 in the series. That’s a big piece to bite off for him. I thought he did a really good job just using his speed and playing a good game, a smart game. You can see that he’s got speed and you can see that he’s got skill.”

Game Four presented by Nissan against the Preds and Sharks comes Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena at 8 p.m. CT. Game Five, which is now necessary, comes on Saturday night in San Jose, a 9 p.m. CT start.  Thunder Radio will bring you the broadcast of both of those games as part of the Fifth Third Bank/Nashville Predators Radio Network.  We will join Thursday night’s game in progress following Coffee County baseball.

As it turns out, all the Braves needed to silence the Mets’ homer-happy offense was a heavy dose of Matt Wisler. Backed by Mallex Smith’s first career homer, Wisler held the Mets hitless into the fifth inning Tuesday, and scoreless through eight in a 3-0 win at Citi Field.

“I know where they are, and I know they’re struggling as a team,” Mets manager Terry Collins said of the Braves. “But the kid pitched pretty good tonight, and you’re going to run into that.”
Though he allowed just the one hit — an Asdrubal Cabrera single — in eight innings, Wisler was not necessarily overwhelming on a foggy night at Citi Field. He worked around two walks, a hit batsman and a Freddie Freeman fielding error, striking out four and inducing a pair of double plays.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said after his team won for the third time in its past five games.”They gave us good at-bats, and we kept getting [Mets starter Matt Harvey] deep in counts and kept getting good at-bats against him. But I think Wisler was the name of the game today. He was really, really, really good.”
It was the type of outing that Harvey, battling through an illness that required him to receive fluids before the game, could not deliver. Though Harvey kept the Braves scoreless through four innings, he allowed Smith’s replay-aided homer in the fifth before falling to pieces in the sixth.
Wisler has shown signs that he has the potential to develop into a frontline starter, but Tuesday’s 106-pitch effort was the most impressive outing thus far by the young right-hander, who now has a 1.55 ERA in four starts against the Mets. He induced just four groundball outs, but two of them resulted in a double play, including the one Curtis Granderson hit into to end the third inning.
“It was a good team effort,” Wisler said. “I think I was a little more effectively wild tonight. I wasn’t locating as well as I probably could have. I felt good on the mound, and my defense made some great plays for me when I needed it.”
Though Harvey was able to skate in and out of trouble for much of the early evening, everything unraveled for him in the sixth. Three hits, a walk and two wild pitches drove Harvey’s pitch count up to 100, where it sat when Smith chased him with a two-out single. It was the fourth time in six starts that Harvey was unable to complete six innings.
“I think there’s just a lot of things going on,” Harvey said. “Right now I’m not feeling good with my mechanics, not feeling good throwing the ball. It’s frustrating. I’m the one who’s most frustrated with what’s going on.”
Smith’s first career homer (13th as a pro) provided the Braves an early lead and just their sixth home run of the season. Veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski then provided some insurance and entertainment as he raced around the bases in the sixth inning. Pierzynski scored Kelly Johnson with a double, sprinted to third base when Reid Brignac lined out to center and then raced home on a wild pitch. More >
If not for Cabrera’s fifth-inning single, the Mets would have found themselves on the wrong side of a no-hitter for the third time in the past calendar year. Cabrera has hit safely in 14 of the last 18 games he has started.
“That’s kind of the way the game goes sometimes,” Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki said. “Tonight was just one of those nights. We had a lot of balls hit hard and hit them right to guys.”
Jhoulys Chacin will take the mound when Atlanta and New York conclude this three-game set on Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. CT. Chacin has allowed three earned runs or less in each of his first four starts, but he has not yet completed more than six innings.

Arismendy Alcantara hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning to send the Iowa Cubs to a 2-1 win over the Nashville Sounds in front of 4,657 fans Tuesday night at First Tennessee Park.

The home run was off of Nashville starter Chris Smith who was charged with a tough loss. Alcantara had a runner aboard thanks to a lead-off single by Dan Vogelbach to start the inning.

Smith and Iowa starter Ryan Williams exchanged zeroes for the first four innings. Nashville got to Williams in the fifth when Bruce Maxwell came through with a two-out single that plated Rangel Ravelo from second.

Smith retired the side in order in the sixth before Vogelbach greeted him with a soft single to right to start the seventh.

Despite the home run, Smith pitched well. He went seven innings and allowed two runs on just four hits. He walked one and struck out a pair. Over the last six games, Sounds’ starters have thrown a total of 39 innings and have allowed only six earned runs while racking up 33 strikeouts.

Williams went six innings and earned the win after he allowed just the one run on six hits. The bullpen trio of Carl Edwards Jr., CJ Riefenhauser and Spencer Patton worked the final three innings and keep Nashville off the board.

Renato Nunez started the ninth with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jake Smolinski. Patton came back to strike out Matt Olson and retire Matt McBride on a fly out to center to end it.

Game three of the four-game series is set for Wednesday afternoon at First Tennessee Park. Left-hander Eric Surkamp (1-0, 0.00) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Jake Buchanan (0-1, 6.10) for the Cubs. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m.

The 2016 season is the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.