nings. But Beard chipped a full toss from Sri Lankas captain Charith Asalanka to mid-off, and George Panayi edged the next ball to slip.Amar Virdi was the last man out, leaving Barnes unbeaten on 18. The Yorkshireman also claimed a wicket in Sri Lankas second innings, as Dilan Jayalath holed out to Ba

ATLANTA -- In a largely forgettable season, the Atlanta Braves finally have reason to gloat a bit.They swept a three-game series at Turner Field for the first time this year.And, get this: Theyve scored at least seven runs in five straight home games -- the first time thats happened since 1953.Freddie Freeman homered and the Braves broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning, beating the San Diego Padres 9-6 on Thursday.Were not having the kind of season we wanted to, Freeman said. But we want to finish strong.One day after Minnesota dipped below Atlanta to the worst record in the majors, the Braves kept on winning behind a six solid innings from Mike Foltynewicz (8-5) and another strong showing from the offense.It was the first time theyve had five consecutive home games with at least seven runs since Aug. 7-10, 1953, the teams debut season in Milwaukee.We dont want the worst record in baseball, Freeman said. Were trying to take care of business in September so we dont have that.The slugging first baseman put Atlanta up in the third with his 28th homer, a two-run liner into the right-field seats off Jarred Cosart (0-2). After Hector Sanchez homered for the Padres in the fifth, the Braves finished off Cosart in the bottom half. Freeman walked with the bases loaded, followed by two-run singles from both Matt Kemp and Anthony Recker.The Braves two previous three-game sweeps this season came on the road. Theyre still just 22-44 at the Ted, but feeling a lot better about the way theyve played since the All-Star break.Atlanta has won 20 of its last 45 games.Were not looking at the big picture, interim manager Brian Snitker said. Were just trying to put our best foot forward every day.Foltynewicz won his fourth straight decision over six starts. He went six innings, yielding just four hits though he did get touched for a pair of homers. Wil Myers went deep in the sixth, lofting a two-run shot just inside the left-field pole.It wasnt enough to keep the Padres from their seventh loss in the last nine games.Cosart lasted only 4 1/3 innings, charged with seven runs on five hits and three walks.The Padres scored three runs in the ninth off Chaz Roe before Jim Johnson came on to get the final out for his 14th save.PITCHING PLANSThe Braves plan to start right-hander John Gant on Saturday in Philadelphia. Aaron Blair was initially scheduled to go, but the struggling rookie (0-6, 8.23 ERA) has been dropped from the rotation.NEW FACESBoth teams made some minor changes on the first day of expanded rosters.The Braves reinstated right-handed reliever Chris Withrow and catcher A.J. Piersynski from the 15-day disabled list, and also called up left-hander Jeb Bradley from Triple-A Gwinnett. The 26-year-old Bradley was acquired from Milwaukee in June and has never pitched in the majors. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, Atlanta transferred injured pitcher Eric OFlaherty to the 60-day disabled list.San Diego, meanwhile, called up left-hander Ryan Buchter from Triple-A El Paso of the Pacific Coast League. He has spent most of the season with the Padres, going 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 58 games before being sent out Aug. 20 for a brief stint in the minors.UP NEXTPadres: LHP Clayton Richard (1-3, 3.51) gets the nod Friday as the Padres begin a three-game series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. The 32-year-old will be making his fourth start since signing with the Padres. He has not allowed an earned run in 14 consecutive innings.Braves: RHP Joel De La Cruz will again be seeking his first big league win when he starts the opener of a weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The 27-year-old is 0-7 with a 4.66 ERA in 15 games -- including eight starts -- since being called up from Triple-A Gwinnett. He 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA in three appearances vs. the Phillies.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .Cheap Ultra Boost Clearance .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Discount Ultra Boost China . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. http://www.discountultraboost.com/ . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. Wholesale Ultra Boost .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. Cheap Ultra Boost China . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.Sri Lanka U-19s307 (Vithanage 80, Daniel 52) and 94 for 3 (Asalanka 40*) beat England U-19s 208 (Holden 111*, Kumara 7-82) and 192 (Kumara 4-52) by seven wicketsScorecard England Under-19s suffered their first home defeat for six years in a four-day match as an outstanding bowling performance by Lahiru Kumara fired Sri Lanka to a seven-wicket victory in Northampton.Kumara, a well-built seamer from Kandy, claimed four more wickets as England could only manage 192 in their second innings. That completed match figures of 11 for 134, and left Sri Lanka needing only 94 for victory.They knocked them off for the loss of three wickets, two of them to Warwickshire seamer George Panayi, meaning they win the two-match series 1-0 after England enjoyed the better of a rain-affected draw in Cambridge last week.Englands last home four-day defeat had also come against Sri Lanka in Northampton in 2010, when a team including Joe Root and Jake Ball were beaten by 199 runs.They made a promising start on the third morning after resuming their second innings on 24 for 1, with Olly Westbury and George Hankins surviving a searching examination from Kumara and Jehan Daniel who both generated consistent and considerable in-swing to the right-handers.It was the introduction of spin which broke the stand as Hankins was lbw trying to sweep the slow-left-arm of Praveen Jayawickrama, ending a restrained innings of 20 from 70 balls from the Gloucestershire batsman.The next blow to England was self-inflicted as Westbury, the Worcestershire opener who made 196 in Cambridge and had compiled a patient 41 from 109 balls, was run out by a call for a quick single from George Bartlett.Next ball, Westburys Worcestershire team-mate Josh Dell became the first of two England baatsmen to complete a pair, although he was unlucky to be brilliantly caught at silly point as he pushed forward to Jayawickrama.ddddddddddddThat left England on 89 for 4, still 10 runs behind. Bartlett, the Somerset batsman who also scored a century at Fenners, did his best to repair the damage by making 26, before edging a superb delivery from Kumara to third slip soon after lunch.Hampshires Josh McCoy completed Englands second pair when he was bowled by Kumara, but Surreys wicketkeeper Ollie Pope made a promising 23 from 31 balls until he was also trapped lbw by Jayawickrama.The Essex seamer Aaron Beard then joined Yorkshires Ed Barnes to put on 48 for the eighth wicket, the second highest stand of the innings. But Beard chipped a full toss from Sri Lankas captain Charith Asalanka to mid-off, and George Panayi edged the next ball to slip.Amar Virdi was the last man out, leaving Barnes unbeaten on 18. The Yorkshireman also claimed a wicket in Sri Lankas second innings, as Dilan Jayalath holed out to Bartlett on the square leg boundary, and Panayi briefly raised Englands hopes when he trapped Avishka Fernando lbw with his fourth ball.But Sri Lankas captain Charith Asalanka ensured there were no nerves in such a small chase by cracking 40 from 18 balls including two sixes, one of which soared over the signal box at Wantage Road and into the gardens of Clarke Road.England have the chance to hit back in a three-match Royal London One-Day Series which starts at Wormsley next Wednesday, and ends with a day-night game at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence on Tuesday week which will be televised live by Sky Sports. ' ' '