NL EAST NEWS AND NOTES

ATLANTA BRAVES

The Braves had almost as many pitchers on the disabled list as on their active roster after rookie left-hander Max Fried strained his left groin in a start Aug. 7 against the Nationals.

While the acquisition of Kevin Gausman in a July 31 trade with the Orioles gave the Braves a full five-man rotation, Fried’s injury had them looking for a starter for the first game of an Aug. 13 doubleheader against the Marlins.

They chose 22-year-old Touki Toussaint, who became the 12th starting pitcher used by the Braves this season. Toussaint gave up one run on two hits in six innings to win his major league debut.

The Braves have had success with kids this season: 20-yearold Ronald Acuna Jr. and 21year-old

Ozzie Albies have been key contributors in the lineup. Mike Soroka, 21, also was impressive in two wins, but he went on the DL because of shoulder soreness and hasn’t pitched since June 19.

❚ Braves TV announcer Joe Simpson apologized to Juan Soto and the Nationals after questioning Soto’s age during an Aug. 7 broadcast. Simpson apologized to the Dodgers last month after criticizing how the Dodgers were dressed during batting practice.

MIAMI MARLINS

Justin Bour was leading the Marlins in home runs, but they were willing to part with the 30year-old slugger because they didn’t see him fitting in with their plans. Bour was sent to the Phillies in exchange for minor league left-hander McKenzie Mills in an Aug. 10 waiver trade.

Bour had mostly an offensive impact, and his OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) fell from .902 in 2017 to .759 in 112 games with the Marlins this season. Bour will be arbitration eligible this winter, so the Marlins would have had to decide if they thought he was worth the salary he will command.

Mills had a 3.51 ERA in 20 games at high Class A Clearwater (Florida) and was set to join the Class AA Jacksonville (Florida) rotation. He originally was drafted by the Nationals, who traded him to the Phillies last year for Howie Kendrick.

❚ To replace Bour, the Marlins moved Derek Dietrich to first base and platooned Isaac Galloway and Rafael Ortega in left field.

NEW YORK METS

He’s still a long way from returning to the major leagues, but Mets captain David Wright began a rehabilitation assignment Aug. 12 by going 0-for-3 for high Class A St. Lucie (Florida).

Wright, the Mets’ franchise record holder for hits, runs and RBI, hasn’t played in a major league game since May 27, 2016, because of problems with his back, shoulder and neck. He played three games for St. Lucie last August but had to cut that rehab assignment short because he felt more pain in his right shoulder.

The Mets didn’t announce any timetable for Wright beyond saying he would play five innings at third base in his first game, which he did.

❚ The Mets have gone without a set closer since trading Jeurys Familia to the Athletics on July 21. Anthony Swarzak, Robert Gsellman and Jerry Blevins all have gotten saves since Familia left, but then Swarzak went on the disabled list because of a sore shoulder.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

The Phillies continued their trend of adding hitters without much regard for what position they play with the Aug. 10 trade for Justin Bour.

While Bour was leading the Marlins with 19 home runs, he figures to be more of a bench player with the Phillies, who have Carlos Santana at first base and have another first baseman, Rhys Hoskins, playing left field.

❚ Shane Victorino played for four organizations after the Phillies traded him in 2012, but he returned to officially retire as a Phillie on Aug. 3.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

The Nationals could get a boost for their Aug. 21-23 series against the Phillies: Right-hander Stephen Strasburg was hopeful of returning from the disabled list.

Strasburg, the Nationals’ second-best starter behind Max Scherzer, has started just once since June 8 because of a pinched nerve in his neck.

Veteran left-hander Tommy Milone has been starting in Strasburg’s place after the Nationals also tried Erick Fedde and Jefry Rodriguez.

❚ Ryan Madson became the temporary closer when Kelvin Herrera (rotator cuff) joined Sean Doolittle on the disabled list Aug. 9. Martinez was surprised to learn that Madson had been dealing with back issues for several days when he gave up a walk-off grand slam to the Cubs’ David Bote on Aug. 12 in an ESPN game.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

RONALD ACUNA JR., BRAVES: In his first 20 games after becoming Atlanta’s leadoff hitter July 20, the 20-year-old Venezuelan had a .393 on-base percentage, eight home runs and five stolen bases. In the last 30 years, the only 20-year-old with more leadoff starts is Mike Trout. Acuna showed his skills again Aug. 13 when he hit a leadoff home run in both games of a doubleheader against the Marlins.