exploring the free-agent market last winter and finding i

ATLANTA -- The Washington Nationals are heating up, which is bad news for the Atlanta Braves.The Nationals travel to Atlanta to start a three-game series Friday. Theyve won eight of their last 10 and just took two of three from the New York Mets, leaving them with a 10-game cushion in the National League East.The Braves are headed the other way. They are 2-4 on their current homestand and won only two of their last nine as they try to avoid their first 100-loss season since 1988.Now the sagging Braves must host their biggest nemesis. The Nationals are 14-2 against the Braves this year, including a three-game sweep last week in Washington. The Braves have won only two games in its last 25 tries against the Nats. Atlanta needs to go 7-9 or better to avoid a 100-loss season.Were trying to win every game we play, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. Were playing every game like it was the seventh game of the World Series. Were not going to lay down and give in.Meanwhile, Washingtons magic number to clinch the division is seven.Im not a big stat guy, said bench coach Chris Speier, who was acting as manager while Dusty Baker was attending a family funeral. The magic number stuff? No. You play one game. Win one game. Dont worry about anything else.The first game of the series features Washingtons veteran right-hander Max Scherzer (16-7, 2.78 ERA) against Atlanta rookie right-hander John Gant (1-3, 4.40).Scherzer is on a four-game winning streak, although he received a no-decision in his last start when he threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out eight against the Phillies. He is 11-3 since June 1.Scherzer beat the Braves on Sept. 5. He pitched seven innings and allowed two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. In his career against Atlanta, Scherzer is 4-3 with a 3.84 ERA in 11 appearances (nine starts).Gant makes his 16th appearance and seventh start. He pitched a scoreless inning of relief in his only appearance against Washington on April 6. Gants last start came against the Mets on Sept. 10, when he received a no-decision after allowing three runs (one earned) in 4 2/3 innings.Both teams may be missing a key player. Washingtons Danny Espinosa left the team Wednesday after the game to join his wife in California, where their first child is due. Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman left his team in the seventh inning Wednesday to join his wife for the birth of their first child.The Braves would really miss Freemans bat. He is riding a 20-game hitting streak, the longest in the National League this season, and has reached base in a career-best 36 straight contests. Air Max France Pas Cher . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. Air Max 720 Moins Cher . 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As opposites do attract we are set for a corker of an opener. ST. LOUIS -- Dexter Fowler?got a taste of what its like to play baseball in St. Louis during his 36 games as an opposing player at Busch Stadium.?Then in November, he got an unexpected sign of St. Louis fans dedication during the Chicago Cubs World Series parade, when he says he noticed a surprising amount of Cardinals red on the streets of the Windy City.And on Thursday, as he flew from his home in Las Vegas to St. Louis to have a physical -- the final hurdle before signing a?five-year, $82.5 million contract?with the Cardinals, which he completed on Friday -- he got another reminder of how engaged the teams supporters are.A flight attendant and a fan on the flight, after taking advantage of in-flight Wi-Fi, approached Fowler to find out whether the rumors were true. Fowler responded by trying to go back to sleep, but the next day he expounded on what, other than the finances, made playing in St. Louis so appealing.You get a taste of winning a World Series and you want to do that again, Fowler said at his introductory news conference. Youre excited and you want to get back and win the World Series. With the Cardinals, theyre always in the hunt. That was a big part of my decision.Fowler said Cubs president Theo Epstein called him shortly before Chicago acquired Jon Jay to inform Fowler the team would not be making him an offer to return.The Cardinals had to extend beyond their comfort zone to sign Fowler, offering him a blanket no-trade clause, according to a source, to go with a contract that some in the industry view as market-altering. The deal will pay Fowler $16.5 million per season through 2021.The reason the Cardinals felt compelled to go that high was their need for speed and defensive competence. They were a below-average fielding team and one of the worst baserunning groups in the majors last season. General manager John Mozeliak said Fowler was the teams No. 1 target all offseason.It was an honor just to be considered to be in the Cardinals organization, said Fowler, who will wear No. 25 in honor of his mentor, Barry Bonds. Fowlers?usual 24 is retired by the Cardinals; it was worn by former manager Whitey Herzog.Now, with the 30-year-old Fowler in center field alongside young outfielders Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty, the Cardinals feel they have one of the better defensive outfields in the league..ddddddddddddne of things we wanted to address was athleticism, someone who could hit at the top of the order, if possible, to allow us to have flexibility with [Matt] Carpenter, and we were looking to find someone who is extremely competent on the basepaths, Mozeliak said.I think we were able to accomplish that, but Mr. Fowler is more than that. Theres always the baseball element, but one of the things about Dexter that excited us is hes a student of the game.The Cardinals had discussions with the Chicago White Sox about Adam Eaton before he was shipped to the Washington Nationals for a trio of highly regarded pitching prospects. They also engaged other teams in trade discussions.The Cardinals are aware they lost a lot of power when Matt Holliday and Brandon Moss became free agents, but Mozeliak indicated the team isnt necessarily intent on signing one of the sluggers still available on the free-agent market and any further moves would likely be complementary acquisitions.It came as no surprise that Fowler turned down his mutual option with Chicago. He made $13 million in 2016, returning to the Cubs for one year only after exploring the free-agent market last winter and finding it unsatisfactory.Fowler was due a big payday after having a career-high .393 on-base percentage and hitting 13 home runs for the Cubs last season, including a blast in Game 7 of the World Series.He also was credited with playing better defense in 2016, after he and the team agreed he should play deeper. The result was a plus-1 in defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs. In 2015, Fowler was minus-12.Fowlers biggest contributions came at the top of the order, where Cubs manager Joe Maddon used to say to him, You go, we go. Fowlers first-inning on-base percentage in 2016 was .479. He was the ignition to the Cubs offense throughout his two years with the team.The move comes after the Cubs signed Jason Heyward and John Lackey away from the Cardinals last offseason.Fowler is the first free agent to sign with the Cardinals after ending the previous season with the Cubs since Mark Grudzielanek did it in the 2004-05 offseason. The Cardinals and Cubs open the 2017 season on April 2 in St. Louis (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). ' ' '