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Mitch Keller keeps torrid May going by keeping Atlanta in check in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 win over Braves

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Mitch Keller keeps torrid May going by keeping Atlanta in check in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 win over Braves


(AP) – Mitch Keller pitched into the seventh inning, Nick Gonzales delivered an RBI double and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Saturday.

Keller (6-3) kept Atlanta in check for 6 2/3 innings to win his fourth consecutive start. The right-hander gave up one run on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Keller is 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA in four starts in May and has worked at least five innings in each of his last 42 starts, the longest active streak in the majors.

Bryan Reynolds had two hits for Pittsburgh, including a run-scoring single in the seventh that gave the Pirates a little breathing room on the day they celebrated the 45th anniversary of the 1979 team’s World Series title.

Several players from that club — including Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven, reliever Kent Tekeulve and two-time National League MVP Dave Parker — were honored before the first pitch.

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Nick Gonzales doubled and scored for the Pirates. The second baseman, a first-round pick in the 2020 draft, is hitting .333 (15 of 45) with 12 RBI over his last 12 games.

Pittsburgh’s bullpen, which struggled in a pair of late collapses to San Francisco earlier in the week, avoided a meltdown against the Braves. Colin Holderman retired four of the five batters he faced after replacing Keller. David Bednar induced Ronald Acuna Jr. into a game-ending fielder’s choice with two on in the ninth to pick up his 11th save.

Atlanta’s Reynaldo López (2-2) wasn’t quite as sharp as he’s been during the best two-month stretch of his nine-year career. The right-hander — who began the day with a 1.54 ERA, third-lowest in the majors — only retired the Pirates in order once and was dinged by the bottom half of the lineup during 4 2/3 so-so innings.

The Braves offense managed just one extra-base hit off Keller, a double by Ozzie Albies in the first. Jarred Kelenic provided an RBI single in the fourth but Atlanta did little else while suffering a second straight loss.

Pittsburgh’s Jared Triolo led off the third with a double and scored on a RBI single by Ji Hwan Bae. López walked Oneil Cruz to start the fourth and the towering 6-foot-7 shortstop then scored from first by getting an excellent read on Gonzales’ double off the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right. Gonzales then gave the Pirates a 3-1 lead when he sprinted home on Olivares’ sacrifice fly to left.

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López exited after a 30-minute rain delay interrupted the bottom of the fifth. He gave up three runs, two earned on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings as his ERA ticked up to 1.75.



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Atlanta, GA

2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say

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2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say


Two suspects in a shooting that left a 7-year-old Atlanta girl dead and her mother injured are now in custody nearly a week after the violence, police say.

The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. on Feb. 24 at a home on the 2200 block of Tiger Flowers Drive NW.

Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute between one of the victim’s family members and the gunman over the phone. Thirty minutes after the argument, the suspect came back and fired shots into the home, police said.

Officers responding to the scene found a 44-year-old woman and her daughter, identified as 7-year-old Zoe Price, shot. Medics rushed the pair to a local hospital, but Price died from her injuries.

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Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department’s homicide unit secured an arrest warrant for 19-year-old Preston Smith two days after the shooting. Smith turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail on March 2.

Schierbaum said officers executed a search warrant on Feb. 27 at a home on McDaniel Street. On that day, 17-year-old Steven Richardson, who police described as an “accomplice,” turned himself in to authorities.

Both men are charged with murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, three counts of aggravated assault, second-degree criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and four counts of third-degree cruelty to children. Richardson is also charged with possession of a Firearm by a Person Under 18.

At a press conference to announce the arrests, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described Price as a bright and compassionate little girl who was “full of energy and full of joy.”

“Her life was cut short in an act of senseless violence, and that loss is not abstract. It is a chair that is going to be missing at the dinner table each night. It is an empty classroom seat next to her friends,” Dickens said.

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The mayor called the arrests “a step forward towards justice” for Price’s family and families across the city.

Dickens said that violence, like the act that took Price’s life, would not be tolerated in Atlanta.



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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More

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Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More


On Monday, the Braves were able to earn another Spring Training victory over the Detroit Tigers. It was a game where the starting pitching depth of the Braves was on full display, as Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, and Owen Murphy all threw multiple innings. While it is likely unwise to expect big things from any of these three arms this season, they are a part of the “next man up” group for the Braves if injury again impacts the rotation. Each had a solid effort today, a trend that will hopefully continue.



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Luke Kornet calls on Atlanta Hawks to cancel ‘Magic City Monday’ promo

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Luke Kornet calls on Atlanta Hawks to cancel ‘Magic City Monday’ promo


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An NBA player from an opposing team has called on the Atlanta Hawks to cancel their upcoming game promotion that revolves around celebrating a well-known local gentleman’s club.

San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet asked the Hawks to reconsider their “Magic City Monday” plans for a March 16 game against the Orlando Magic in a letter posted to Medium on Monday, March 2. Atlanta’s ownership group and front office recently touted the one-night collaboration as an ode to an “iconic cultural institution,” citing Magic City’s role and impact in Atlanta’s Black communities and hip-hop culture in the announcement.

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But Kornet wrote that “the Hawks failed to acknowledge that this place is, as the business itself boasts, ‘Atlanta’s premier strip club.’ “

“The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world,” Kornet continued. “We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.

“Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”

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Magic City Kitchen is also slated to serve two versions of its “world famous” lemon pepper wings – Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ – at the March 16 game. The flavor is named after three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year-winner, Lou Williams. Rapper T.I. is scheduled to perform at halftime and limited edition Magic City merchandise will be available to purchase at the game.

Magic City celebrated 40 years with a five-part STARZ docuseries, ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy,’ that was produced by Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz and Atlanta native Jermaine Dupri. Magic City founder Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney and T.I. are scheduled to record a live podcast from inside Atlanta’s State Farm Arena before the game.

Kornet, 30, hopes the Hawks and NBA officials listen to him instead.

“I’d like to encourage the league, its owners, employees and fans to hold the Atlanta Hawks to a higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting,” Kornet wrote. “I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks’ decision. We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision.”

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Luke Kornet stats

Kornet is averaging a career-best 7.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his first season with the Spurs. This is the sixth team he’s played for in his nine NBA seasons, with his previous four years spent on the Boston Celtics.



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