Look Even Scarier. Colon Combined With Two Relievers Optiuni

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ATLANTA -- Seven innings of Bartolo Colons dominance only made Jose Valverdes ninth-inning escape look even scarier. Colon combined with two relievers on an eight-hitter, Ruben Tejada drove in two runs with two hits and the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 4-0 on Tuesday night. Valverde loaded the basses in the ninth before Jason Heyward flied to the warning track in centre field to end it. Colon, 40, gave up six hits and no walks, struck out five and didnt allow more than one baserunner in any inning until the seventh as he outpitched Atlantas Aaron Harang (1-1). Travis dArnaud said catching Colon (1-1) is "a lot of fun." "He commands all his pitches," dArnaud said. "What else could you ask for from a pitcher?" Tejada scored on a wild pitch by Harang in the third and had run-scoring singles in the seventh and eighth innings. The Braves honoured the 40th anniversary of Hank Aarons 715th homer in a pregame ceremony attended by baseball commissioner Bud Selig. Al Downing, the former Dodgers left-hander who gave up the homer, attended the ceremony and threw out the first pitch. There was little left to get excited about for the home crowd until the ninth. Justin Upton and Dan Uggla had back-to-back singles off Valverde. Evan Gattis, who returned after missing two games -- and losing seven pounds -- because of a stomach virus, hit a fielders choice grounder that forced Upton at third. Valverde then fielded Andrelton Simmons grounder, turned and threw wide of second base for an error, leaving the bases loaded. Pinch-hitter Gerald Laird popped out to second base and Lagares caught Heywards shot to end the game. "I knew I just missed it," Heyward said. "Id like to be in that spot every time. Id like to come through." Heyward, who was 0-for-5, is hitting .107. Mets manager Terry Collins said the Braves had aggressive swings in the ninth because Valverde was throwing strikes. "The ninth inning is a tough inning," Collins said. "Youve got a club like the Braves who swing the bats and this guy attacks the strike zone. Theyre gonna get some hits. When he starts missing is when he gets in trouble. When he throws strikes he gets outs because youve got to swing." Valverde moved into the closers role as the replacement for Bobby Parnell, who had season-ending Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. Harang was hurt by control problems in an otherwise strong outing. He allowed only two hits with nine strikeouts in six innings, but he gave up four walks, including two in the third. Tejada led off with a walk and eventually scored on Harangs wild pitch to David Wright. "I tried to put him away, a 2-2 count, I threw a slider in the dirt," Harang said. "It took an awkward bounce, got away from Evan. "Other than that I felt good. I kept them off-balance. We just werent able to work anything up on Colon tonight." The Mets added two runs off Braves rookie Gus Schlosser in the seventh. Tejada and Young had run-scoring singles. Braves left-hander Luis Avilan left the game in the seventh with a left hamstring cramp after he dodged Daniel Murphys broken-bat on a single. Avilan was limping and was unable to make a warm-up throw but said after the game he did not expect to miss any time. Collins asked for a review when Juan Lagares was called out at first base on a grounder to reliever Ian Thomas in the eighth. Following a 3-minute review, Lagares was ruled safe. NOTES: Braves RHP Cory Gearrin confirmed he will have season-ending Tommy John surgery. The Braves previously lost starting pitchers Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy to season-ending elbow injuries this spring. ... RHP Ervin Santana will make his first start for the Braves on Wednesday after signing with the team on March 12. RHP Zack Wheeler will start for the Mets. ... The Mets said Parnells right elbow ligament-replacement surgery, performed by Dr. David Altchek, was successful. The team announced plans for the surgery on Sunday. 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Anything but a first place finish for captain Thiago Silva and the Brazilians would be a massive disappointment for the soccer-crazed nation. The club is stacked with young superstars like Neymar up front with experienced veterans on defence like Dante and Dani Alves. Brazil has what it takes to win it all, but will have to handle the pressure of playing on home soil. To be the champ you have to beat the champ and that is Spain. The defending World Cup champions and two-time defending European champions will be vying for a fourth straight major title in Brazil. They definitely have the horses to get it done with Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta and Juan Mata leading the way. Forward Diego Costa is also 100 per cent healthy after sufferingg from a nagging hamstring, adding to Spains lethal scoring weapons up front.dddddddddddd Then there is the team who has arguably the best footballer in the world. Lionel Messi and Argentina will look to capture their first World Cup title since 1986 in Mexico. They looked to be on that path back in 2010 in South Africa until Germany trounced them in the quarterfinals. Messi was unable to score at that World Cup and will be looking for retribution. Germany always seems to be in the mix and theres no reason 2014 should be any different. Germanys strength is their midfield which could be the best in the whole tournament. Even with the absence of Marco Rues and the questionable health of Sami Khedira, the German midfield is still one to be reckoned with. Germany is one of the most well-rounded squads in the tournament and will be a tough challenge for any opponent. Uruguay is a strong entry too, but with the uncertainty of elite striker Luis Suarez due to recent knee surgery, the South American team might be in a tough position. Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portuguese club along with Belgium, Netherlands and Croatia are all teams that could surprise some people too. Its a tough call, but its yours to make. Who will win the World Cup? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '