points out in the third game as Angus stretched the lead to 13-6.Vermas inexp | Forum

WASHINGTON -- Atlanta pitcher Julio Teheran insisted he didnt mean to plunk Washingtons Bryce Harper with a pitch two innings after the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year homered. NGolo Kante France Jersey . Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said after his clubs 2-1 victory over the Nationals on Tuesday night that "it definitely wasnt on purpose." Harper -- and everyone else connected to the Nationals -- was sure it was. "Its part of the game and its something, I guess, hes got to do," Harper said, his hands on his hips. Then, asked whether he was surprised Teheran hit him, Harper offered this nugget: "Uh, I hit that ball pretty far off him. So no, not really." And Washington manager Davey Johnson observed: "You file it for future reference." All in all, the sort of stuff rivalries and high-drama playoff chases are made of. Except, in this particular case, Evan Gattis two-run single in the fifth, and the six innings thrown by Teheran (9-5) while allowing one run, combined to produce Atlantas season-high 12th consecutive win, padding their NL East lead to 14 1/2 games over Washington. It was the latest weak hitting performance by a Nationals club thats had trouble at the plate since April and is now five games under .500 a year after leading the majors with 98 wins. "Theres no point in looking back and hanging our head. Weve got two options now: We can cash it in and think about next year or we can grind it out and see what happens," said Adam LaRoche, who grounded out on a 2-0 pitch with the bases loaded against reliever Luis Avilan to end the seventh. "Im pretty sure were going to keep pushing." Gattis big hit came off Gio Gonzalez (7-5), who pitched one night after Major League Baseball announced its Biogenesis investigation cleared the left-hander. Adding to the theatrics: Gattis was only in the game because he replaced Jason Heyward, who left with a neck muscle strain after popping out in the first inning. "Adrenaline kind of takes over," Gattis said about getting thrown into the lineup. "Theres kind of not much time to think about it." Harper put Washington ahead 1-0 with one out in the third, driving the first pitch of the at-bat onto the grassy hill in straightaway centre for his 17th homer. Harper paused a bit as he left the batters box, watching the ball fly, then dropped his bat and took a slower-than-usual-for-him trot around the bases. "Yeah, he sat there for a little bit, but it is what it is," Braves catcher Brian McCann said. Asked about Teherans intent during Harpers next turn up, in the fifth, McCann answered: "Im not sure. I dont have the ball." When Harper went to the plate with Washington trailing 2-1, Teherans first pitch hit him on the right leg. Harper barked at Teheran and pointed at the right-hander. McCann moved toward Harper, before an umpire got in the way. "Obviously Bryce didnt like it, (and) we dont blame him," LaRoche said. Members of both teams streamed onto the field, but they stayed separated and no punches were thrown. Even Heyward came out onto the grass, with a blue shirt on but not his jersey. "Boys being boys," Fredi Gonzalez called it. Not long after, the clubs official Twitter feeds mixed it up a bit. The Braves tweeted: "Clown move bro," tweaking Harpers famous retort to a reporter last season, "Thats a clown question, bro." The Nationals then replied on Twitter: "Which part, giving up the home run, or drilling the 20-year-old on the first pitch his next time up?" Teheran wound up allowing four hits and the lone run. He gave way to Avilan, who got out of that jam in the seventh. Jordan Walden struck out the side in the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel did the same in the ninth, collecting his 35th save by whiffing Harper swinging at a high, 99 mph fastball. Asked afterward whether he thought about charging the mound when he got hit, Harper said: "Nah, I wasnt going to go out there. I mean, 14 1/2 games down, and I need to be in the lineup." Notes: The Braves listed Heyward as day to day. After the game, he said a doctor told him it was a spasm. ... Former major league closer Billy Wagner, who spent the final season of his 16-year career with the Braves, was in the visitors clubhouse before the game. Wagner, now a high school baseball coach, recently wrote an autobiography called "A Way Out." "Its not meant to be a bestseller," Wagner said. "Its meant to help that kid that is in Southwest Virginia, who somebody said, Youre not going to be anything, and youre never going to accomplish anything. Its meant for those people, so that they can read it and go, Well, this kid was in the same situation. You might not go on to be a major leaguer, but theres a way out." Lassana Diarra France Jersey . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Blaise Matuidi Jersey . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. http://www.nationalfrancesoccer.com/steve-mandanda-france-jersey/ . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Sameer Verma missed a chance to win his maiden Superseries after losing 14-21, 21-10, 11-21 in the final against NG Ka Long Angus at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday.?The match lasted 50 minutes.Verma is one of only three male players to reach a Superseries final. Prakash Padukone remains the only Indian to win the Hong Open, having won the inaugural edition in 1982. (The Hong Kong Open became a Superseries in 2007).It was a historic win for Angus as he became the first man from Hong Kong to win the mens singles title at the Hong Kong Open.On Saturday, Sameer had shocked third-seeded Jan O Jorgensen to enter the final.Earlier in the day, PV Sindhu also suffered a loss in the final, losing to?Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in straight sets.The 22 year-old Verma was appearing in his first Superseries final and looked to by riddled by nerves as Angus led 8-2 in the early exchanges.Verma had a much better opening against third seeded Jan O Jorgensen in the semifinal. He tried to fight back but Angus led 11-5 at the changeover.Verma, playing in his first final of the year, showed good retrieval skills but Angus extended the lead to 13-8 when Verma failed to return a powerful smash.Angus made good use of the down-the-line smash to take the score to 17-12. He closed out the game on the first opportunity, winning it in 15 minutes.Verma gathered himself in the second ggame and showed good composure and tactical awareness to lead 7-2. Mamadou Sakho France Jersey. Despite being ranked 29 places below Angus, Verma led 11-5 at the changeover in the second game after a perfectly placed smash down the line.A couple of errors from Verma helped Angus narrow the lead down to 7-14. But Angus started to get impatient as Verma showed good poise and increased the lead to 18-8.There was a definitive shift in momentum as Verma closed out the second game in 16 minutes. Cheered on by a vociferous home crowd, Angus took a 3-0 lead in the third game and extended it to 5-3 after a sapping 32-shot rally.Verma gave away a couple of cheap points as Angus lead 11-4 at the changeover. While Vermas retrieval skills were commendable, he struggled to close points out in the third game as Angus stretched the lead to 13-6.Vermas inexperience showed in the third game as he read the play well but failed to hold his nerve in the crunch moments as Angus won the third game in 19 minutes.Angus had dropped only one game on his way to the final and has also qualified for the World Superseries finals in Dubai in December.Verma had won both his previous matches against Angus. World number 14 Angus was also appearing in his first Superseries final. ' ' '