who he credited for his success and highlighted John Thompson,

WASHINGTON -- Max Scherzer wasnt about to leave his start Monday afternoon any earlier than necessary.Scherzer pitched seven strong innings to earn his 16th victory of the season, and the well-traveled Washington Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4 in the opener of a three-game series.Hes full of determination, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. We were going to take him out after the sixth because they had some dangerous hitters coming up and they were starting to hit the ball pretty well and Scherzer said, `Hey, man, I want to go back out there, and he had a great short inning.Scherzer (16-7) scattered seven hits and yielded two runs to win his fourth consecutive start. He needed only eight pitches to navigate his final inning.I just said two words: `Im good, Scherzer said. You just know where youre at physically. You know how the balls coming out of your hand. I just knew even at 98 pitches I was still strong. I knew I had 115 in the tank, so I knew I was good to go out there for the seventh.Washington maintained an 8 1/2-game lead in the NL East over the New York Mets, who won 5-0 at Cincinnati.Trea Turner and Chris Heisey both homered during a five-run third inning for the Nationals, who won for the 12th time in 14 meetings against Atlanta this season.That one inning got away from us real quick, Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. It kind of happened before you knew it happened a little bit.Ryan Weber (1-1) lost in his first start of the season for Atlanta. Weber allowed five runs in three innings as the Braves had a six-game winning streak snapped.Washington created problems for Weber the second time he went through the order. Turner smacked a two-run homer to left with an out in the third to give the Nationals the lead. Weber put the next two men on and, after a pop out, Heisey blasted his ninth home run to left to make it 5-1.I left one just middle-in, right in (Turners) wheelhouse and after that my ability to limit the damage was not that good, Weber said. I made another bad pitch to Heisey and then it was really out of hand.Turner, who finished a triple shy of the cycle, added an RBI single in the fourth.Atlanta scored twice in the ninth off closer Mark Melancon to pull within 6-4, but the right-hander ended the threat by getting catcher Anthony Recker to fly out with a man on first.RESTING REGULARSThe Nationals fielded a lineup that did not include OFs Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth, 2B Daniel Murphy, C Wilson Ramos and 1B Ryan Zimmerman. Washington arrived home early Monday morning after a Sunday night loss at the New York Mets.Some of my guys are walking around like zombies, and thats the reason why, Baker said. Im not overlooking the Braves at all. Im just trying to preserve and take care of my guys. Who I feel sorry for are the fans who came out today to see their favorite players play. I cant help it. You have to blame the schedule-makers and the TV-makers for that.INCIARTE STREAK TO 16Atlanta CF Ender Inciarte extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a pair of singles in five at-bats. He is 30 for 70 (.429) since Aug. 19 and owns the longest active hitting streak in the majors.TRAINERS ROOMBraves: Snitker said he hopes RHP Matt Wisler (sore side) can return to the rotation next week. Atlanta skipped his turn Monday. Id like to get him back out there, obviously, Snitker said. I want him to finish the season.Nationals: RHP Joe Ross allowed one run and three hits in three innings during a rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse. Ross, on the DL since July 3 with right shoulder inflammation, struck out two and walked none. ... IF Stephen Drew (vertigo-like symptoms) went 1 for 2 during a rehab appearance at Class A Potomac.UP NEXTBraves: RHP Williams Perez (2-2, 4.62), who has not appeared in the majors since June 6 because of a rotator cuff strain, returns to the rotation and will face Washington for the first time this season. Snitker said Perez is unlikely to throw more than 100 pitches Tuesday.Nationals: LHP Gio Gonzalez (10-9, 4.14) looks for his first win against the Braves this season. He has a 2.31 ERA in two starts against Atlanta. Kendall Graveman Jersey . The 29-year-old Baines has established himself as one of the top attacking full backs in the country and was the subject of two bids from United during the last off-season. Everton manager Roberto Martinez says that keeping Baines at the club is a "massive boost and exciting for the future" because he brings "maturity and football knowledge in a very specialized position on the pitch" and an "infectious and positive influence to the rest of the squad. Moises Alou Jersey . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. https://www.cheapcubs.com/570t-ian-happ-jersey-cubs.html . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford. Jose Quintana Cubs Jersey . 24 Baylor in a Big 12 clash between teams trending in opposite directions. Andrew Wiggins made 10-of-12 from the foul line and scored 17 for Kansas (14-4, 5-0 Big 12), which capped a stretch of four straight games against ranked opponents unscathed. Joe Girardi Cubs Jersey . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will soon welcome two of the sports game-changing stars -- one big and one small.Shaquille ONeal and Allen Iverson headline the Class of 2016 which will be enshrined Friday night. Joining them in the 10-member class will be NBA and international star Yao Ming, longtime Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes, NAIA coaching legend John McLendon (posthumous), former referee Darell Garretson (posthumous), executive Jerry Reinsdorf, ABA star Zelmo Beaty (posthumous) and early African-American pioneer Cumberland Posey (posthumous).Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo, a 2004 inductee, said it might be one of the top five classes he has seen.I think its an extraordinary class, Colangelo told The Associated Press. Its true that each year we think its a great class. But some years some of them do stand out.ONeal, a four-time NBA champion and seventh on the all-time scoring list, was always must-watch television for what the 7-footer did both on and off the court. He again drew all eyes to him during Thursdays jacket ceremony for the inductees.After he slipped on his custom orange blazer, Shaq theatrically waved off Hall of Fame president and CEO John Doleva, clearing the way for the man who once called himself The Big Aristotle to strut solo across the stage as camera bulbs flashed.Then, when he was seated on the dais, Shaq sprung to his feet and relieved Doleva, who was struggling to reach the massive shoulders of the 7-foot-6 Ming. Shaq grabbed the jacket and gleefully assumed the role of impromptu butler for his fellow big man.His antics started much earlier. Swoopes told a story of Shaq promising her $1 million if she would fake a fall during the class walk to the stage. She declined, but only because she said Shaq wouldnt show me the money.Later, Shaq explained that his bravado was only his attempt to savor every moment of the experience. He said his speech Friday will be a love letter to those who helped him achieve a basketball dream that didnt seem real when he was a teenage army brat.I dont memorize a lot of stuff, but I have this one memorized, ONeal said of his speech. I wouldnt miss it for the world. I bought about 1,0000 tickets to each event.dddddddddddd All my family, everybody will be there. Its just great.He said being in the same class with a guy like Iverson was appropriate for two players who brought their own unique styles to the NBA -- Shaq as an imposing force in the middle and Iverson as a small player whose skill and personal bravado still resonate today.He had a lot of heart, ONeal said of Iverson. Were similar in the aspect that we did it our way. ... I was only going to do it my way. He did it his way. Cultural icon. A lot of things were implemented because of his style -- with the dress code -- and the way he wears chains and big tattoos and all that stuff. He made it cool for that to happen.Iverson missed Thursdays jacket ceremony, arriving late to speak with the assembled media. He got emotional when he was asked about the people who he credited for his success and highlighted John Thompson, his college coach at Georgetown, as well as Larry Brown, his longtime NBA coach with the Philadelphia 76ers.Thats the only thing that gets me here, is my teammates. My teammates and my coaches, said the former NBA Rookie of the Year and 2001 MVP. Thats the only reason Im here. All those guys sacrificed their games and sacrificed things for me.Shaq said Iversons crossover of Michael Jordan during his rookie season in 1997 was the definition of the kind of player Iverson was.Everybody talks about his move against Michael Jordan, Shaq said. You got to have (guts) to pull off a move against a legend like that.Yao ushered in a new era of international basketball when he left China to become the top pick of the NBA draft in 2002. As a member of the Houston Rockets, he earned All-Rookie honors and would go on to be an eight-time All-Star. He was named a three-time FIBA Asian Championship MVP.When Im walking through the Hall, for the first time I feel Im so small, Yao said. I look up to the roof top and all the pictures around ... I really sense all the people before me that Mr. Naismith made possible with the life he had.---Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower ' ' '