m theorizing is that he fell into the same trap that so many free agents fall into, trying to do too much and tryin

CHICAGO -- The Washington Nationals hit the halfway point of the season tied with Atlanta for the NL East lead. Glenn Hubbard Braves Jersey . Adam LaRoche will take that. "I like our position in the standings and I like how our team is playing," LaRoche said after Washington swept a day-night doubleheader from the Cubs on Saturday. LaRoche and Wilson Ramos homered, Blake Treinen earned his first major league win and the Nationals beat Chicago 7-2 in a rainy nightcap. Gio Gonzalez pitched two-hit ball over seven innings in the opener for a 3-0 victory. In the second game, Washington tagged Jeff Samardzija (2-7) for six runs over five innings to salvage a four-game series split. LaRoche led off the second with a long drive to right for his 11th homer, and Ramos connected to start the fifth, sparking a four-run rally that made it 6-2. Making his fifth major league start, Treinen (1-3) allowed two runs and four hits in five innings. The right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse as the 26th man on the roster for the doubleheader. "It means a lot," he said about the win. "Im definitely excited, thats for sure." Ross Detwiler pitched three perfect innings for his first career save. The only runs for the Cubs came on a two-run homer by Luis Valbuena that tied it at 2 in the fourth, right about when the rain started falling. With two outs in the inning and Nate Schierholtz batting, play was stopped for 55 minutes. Once the game resumed, it didnt take long for the Nationals to regain the lead. Ramos connected on the first pitch of the fifth for his second homer, and Washington sent up nine batters in the inning. With two outs and a man on first, three straight singles by Anthony Rendon, Kevin Frandsen and Jayson Werth resulted in two more runs. First baseman Anthony Rizzo then let LaRoches hard smash get by him for an error, bringing in Frandsen to make it 6-2. "Coming out of the rain delay they jumped on me right off the bat, and then they hit some fastballs over the plate and hit them up the middle," Samardzija said. "Made me keep throwing pitches. Like I said, they did a good job. They were ready out of the break." In the first game, Gonzalez dominated in his third start back from the disabled list, outperforming Dallas Beeler in the rightys major league debut. Rendon had three hits, including a two-out double against Beeler in the sixth before scoring the games first run on a wild pitch. Rendon added an RBI triple off Justin Grimm and came home on a sacrifice fly by LaRoche against Wesley Wright in a two-run eighth. Denard Span chipped in with two hits and scored a run, and the Nationals snapped a three-game losing streak. Gonzalez (5-4) struck out seven and walked two while improving to 2-0 in three starts after missing a month because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Tyler Clippard worked the eighth and Rafael Soriano finished for his 19th save in 21 chances. "Obviously, coming (off) the DL and trying to work your way back is going to be a process," Gonzalez said. "Its not going to happen overnight. Its good to see, little by little, using fastball and changeup at the same time. Its good to know when you need them theyll be there." Beeler was about as good as Gonzalez. Called up from Triple-A Iowa as the 26th man, he pitched four-hit ball while allowing an unearned run in six innings. Beeler also singled in his first at-bat when he lined the first pitch he saw up the middle in the third, drawing big cheers from the crowd. "I was a lot calmer than what I thought Id be," he said. "I walked out there, took a deep breath, threw my warmup pitches, kind of looked around again, exhaled and I was like, All right, same game Ive been playing for the last 20 years." NOTES: Nationals OF Bryce Harper hit three homers and drove in five runs in a rehab game for Double-A Harrisburg. The 2012 NL Rookie of the Year is working his way back from a torn ligament in his left thumb. He went 4 for 5 as the DH against the Cleveland Indians Akron affiliate. Washington manager Matt Williams said hes not sure if Harper will play another game for Harrisburg on Sunday. The Nationals are optimistic he will return early in the week, if not Monday, when they open a three-game series against Colorado. ... The Cubs have their first scheduled Sunday off in 82 years because of the annual Pride Parade in Chicago. The last one was on June 19, 1932. Chicago played the Giants in New York on a Saturday and then went to Philadelphia on a Monday. Braves Jerseys 2020 . The above paragraph could be rewritten, verbatim, with Marcus Stromans name in place of Romeros. After both men had disastrous outings in Tuesdays 18-4 mauling at the hands of the Tigers, its clear that neither is the best option to begin the season in Toronto. Josh Tomlin Jersey .Y. - Urijah Faber walked out on a Madison Square Garden stage in a Wes Welker jersey, the UFCs fun nod to that other "super" show this weekend. https://www.cheapbraves.com/ . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win.ATLANTA - Braves general manager Frank Wren and his staff will discuss looming decisions on two free agents, catcher Brian McCann and pitcher Tim Hudson, in organizational meetings which being Tuesday in Orlando. Two more players to be discussed are Dan Uggla and B.J. Upton, who lost starting jobs this season. Wren said Monday he still feels the disappointment of Atlantas NL division series loss to the Dodgers. He said the team "took a step forward" by winning 96 games and the NL East division title. "We didnt reach our ultimate goal and so Im disappointed," Wren said. "Our ultimate goal was to win a World Series. Thats why we do what we do. Division championships are nice. Winning 96 games is great, but if youre not still standing as one of the last few teams to get to the World Series, its somewhat disappointing." Wren said the Braves struggled to overcome the loss of Hudson, 38, whose season ended with a broken ankle on July 24. Brandon Beachy had setbacks when trying to return from elbow ligament-replacement surgery and didnt rejoin the rotation as expected. Wren said he will "need a little more information than we have now" on Hudsons recovery but said the right-hander "is progressing." "It would surprise me if we did not at least have some conversations with him," Wren said of Hudson. Left-hander Paul Maholm also is a free agent. Wren said the Braves have good depth in starting pitchers but said there would be room for Hudson in the rotation if he is re-signed. Candidates for the 2014 rotation could include Julio Teheran, Mike Minor, Kris Medlen, Alex Wood, Beachy and possibly Hudson. Wren said despite that depth, the rotation lacks an ace. He said there are potential aces in the farm system. Top Braves pitching prospects include Sean Gilmartin, Lucas Sims and Jason Hursh, all first-round picks, and J.R. Graham. "We recognize that is an area of need and whether we can acquire that prior to our young guys arriving here, Im not sure," Wren said. "Its very difficult to acquire." McCann, who will be 30 at the start of the 2014 season, coulld be difficult to re-sign. Ronald Acuna Jr. Jersey. He has hit 20 or more homers in six straight seasons and is a seven-time All-Star. Wren said he is confident Evan Gattis, who spent much of the second half of his rookie season as the starting left fielder, can be a capable defensive catcher. "We saw enough of his catching skills early in the season to know that he could handle this job," Wren said of Gattis. Upton and Uggla each hit below .190. Uggla was left off the post-season roster after hitting .179 with 22 homers. Ugglas hitting woes continued following laser eye surgery in August. He hit .083 in August, .112 in September and then was left off the division series roster. "I think we made a decision who is our best 25," Wren said Monday. "He wasnt on that roster, and so we need him to perform better. Thats plain and simple. "I hope for Dans sake and our sake that he can make some adjustments with an off-season of getting used to normal vision." Wren said he believes Upton tried too hard to play up to the biggest free-agent contract in team history — five years and $72.25 million. "What I hope happened to B.J. and what Im theorizing is that he fell into the same trap that so many free agents fall into, trying to do too much and trying to justify and win over a new fan base," Wren said. "Its a deep hole that gets deeper and deeper the harder you try. Weve seen dozens and dozens of players go through it." Upton, 29, hit only .184 with 9 homers, 26 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. He had three strikeouts in three at-bats in the division series. It was his fifth straight season hitting below .250, but it was a sharp decline from his 2012 season with Tampa Bay, when he hit .246 with 28 homers, 78 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. "B.J. is very talented," Wren said. "Hes young. He can do a lot of things on the baseball field. Weve got to help him get back on track. Thats plain and simple. There a reason why there were a number of clubs after him last winter. I know he didnt show it very consistently here." Manager Fredi Gonzalez said last week he expects Upton to open next season as the starting centerfielder. ' ' '