JACOB WEBB

Jorge Soler became the first player to begin a World Series with a home run and the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros 6-2 in Tuesday night’s opener despite the loss of pitcher Charlie Morton to a broken leg.

Austin Riley had three doubles and three RBIs, Adam Duvall added a two-run homer and the Atlanta Braves extended their lead in the NL East by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 11-4.

Pinch-hitting pitcher Kevin Gausman lofted a full-count, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 11th inning and the San Francisco Giants edged the Atlanta Braves 6-5 to increase their NL West lead.

There's a growing concern in baseball as batters are getting hit more often in recent years. MLB has seen a 28% spike in hit batters per game since 2017.

Kevin Pillar will need surgery for multiple fractures in his nose. "My heart’s broken right now because this team is hurting right now,” he said.

New York Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar says he's almost as concerned about the pitcher who hit him in the face as he is himself.

An update on Mike Trout is expected after the Los Angeles Angels star left Monday night’s win over Cleveland because of a strained right calf.

Pinch-hitter James McCann drove in the game’s first run with a double, Tomás Nido had three hits and the New York Mets overcame more injuries to beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1.

Both baseball teams from New York are away from home this week and each one is having a painful road trip.

In a scary incident on Monday night, Kevin Pillar was hit in the face by a pitch. He then left the Mets' game against the Braves.

Ehire Adrianza capped a night full of comebacks for Atlanta with a game-ending RBI single in the 12th inning, helping the Braves stun the Philadelphia Phillies for a chaotic 8-7 victory.

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)ARLINGTON, Texas – Marcell Ozuna and the Atlanta Braves got a little ahead of themselves. Now they’ll have to wait at least another day for the franchise’s first World Series in 20 years. The Braves still have a 3-2 series lead after a bullpen game that started well but went awry, with their top two starters lined up for the final two games. “Hopefully he can go seven innings tomorrow, eight innings,” manager Brian Snitker said. Fried struck out nine in six innings in a no-decision in Game 1, when the Braves scored four times in the ninth in a 5-1 win.

Atlanta Braves players celebrate after defeating the Miami Marlins in Game 3 of a baseball National League Division Series, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, in Houston. The Braves are 5-0 with a 0.92 ERA in the postseason, allowing five runs in 49 innings. They’re the second team in history to throw four shutouts in the first five playoff games, joining the 1905 New York Giants. D’Arnaud knocked a double off the bullpen in right-center to send two home and extend the lead to 3-0. The Marlins had a chance to cut into the lead in the bottom of the inning when they loaded the bases with two outs.

Atlanta Braves' Max Fried pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)The Atlanta Braves' season-long rotation woes continued Tuesday when Max Fried, the top healthy starter, was placed on the 10-day injured list. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Fried has a left-side muscle spasm in his lumbar spine. Anthopoulos said he hopes Fried can return from the IL as soon as he is eligible on Sept. 16. Anthopoulos said he hopes Culberson can be added to the team's camp at its alternate training site at Triple-A Gwinnett.