Soto youngest to steal 3 bases, Nats beat hit Braves 7-1

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ATLANTA (AP) — Washington 19-year-old rookie Juan Soto become the youngest player to steal three bases in a game, had an RBI single and scored the tiebreaking run, helping the Nationals stop the Atlanta Braves’ season-best, six-game winning streak with a 7-1 victory on Saturday.

Soto hit an RBI single in the first inning and stole second, then walked in the fourth, stole two bases and came home on a bases-loaded walk for a 2-1 lead. He surpassed the mark set by Oakland’s Rickey Henderson at 20 years, 241 days on Aug. 23, 1979, against Cleveland, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Soto also extended his on-base streak to 20 consecutive games, one night after joining Hall of Famers Mel Ott, Mickey Mantle and Al Kaline as the only teenagers to reach safely in 19 straight.

Washington starter Jeremy Hellickson left after re-injuring his right wrist while batting in the fourth inning. Hellickson had been sidelined by a sprained right wrist and was making his first start since Aug. 15.

He grimaced after fouling off the first pitch of his at-bat in the fourth against Julio Teheran (9-8), then swung and missed at a low and outside pitch. Hellickson walked to the dugout and was examined by director of athletic training Paul Lessard.

Andrew Stevenson pinch hit, took two balls and swung and missed at strike three. The strikeout was charged to Hellickson, who allowed two hits and one unearned run in three innings.

Jefry Rodriguez (3-2) relieved to start the bottom half and pitched 4 2/3 hitless innings. He also drove in his first big league run.

Atlanta entered with a 7½-game lead over second-place Philadelphia in the NL East.

Teheran gave up two runs, three hits and a career-high six walks in four innings.

Twenty-year-old Ronald Acuna Jr., major leagues’ slugging percentage leader since the All-Star break, singled in the first, took third on Hellickson’s two-base throwing error and a run scored on Freddie Freeman’s sacrifice fly.

Washington opened a 5-1 lead in the sixth when Adam Eaton hit a run-scoring double and Anthony Rendon had a two-run double off Touki Toussaint, who walked four in the inning — one intentionally.

BIG NUMBERS

Rendon has reached safely in a career-best 24 straight games. … Soto has hit safely in nine straight and has a .351 average with two doubles, four homers, nine RBIs, three walks and nine runs scored over that span. … Soto ended a streak of four straight games with a homer. His solo shot Friday made him the third teenager to hit at least 20 homers in a season, two behind teammate Bryce Harper in 2012 and four behind Tony Conigliaro in 1964.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: CF Bryce Harper fell hard on his left wrist with an unsuccessful dive attempt on a liner by Kurt Suzuki that fell in right-center for a single leading off the second. Harper walked three times and struck out twice.

Braves: 3B Johan Camargo missed his third straight game because of left groin tightness.

UP NEXT

Nationals RHP Tanner Roark (8-15, 4.37 ERA) starts Sunday against Braves LHP Sean Newcomb (12-8, 3.82 ERA). Roark allowed 11 runs and 20 hits in 9 2/3 innings in two starts last month.

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