Pirate Galaxy » The 10-kilometer open water race

ATLANTA -- Ervin Santana has been a model of efficiency lately for the Minnesota Twins.Early on it was all about getting a run on the board and then watch Ervin go to work, manager Paul Molitor said. He was just kind of on cruise control there for a while.Santana scattered four hits over seven scoreless innings, Joe Mauer homered and the Twins beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2 on Tuesday night.In a matchup of the two worst teams in the major leagues, Minnesota improved to 48-71, four games better than the Braves.Santana (6-9) walked two and struck out six, throwing 64 of his 107 pitches for strikes to win his third straight start. Hes accustomed to pitching at Turner Field after spending the 2014 season with the Braves, but the muggy conditions were still tough to overcome.I feel great, Santana said. There was a lot of humidity, but we got the win. Thats the most important thing.The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the first on Trevor Plouffes RBI double. In the eighth, Mauer hit his 10th homer and Kurt Suzuki had an RBI single to make it 3-0.Brandon Kintzler earned his 12th save in 13 chances after facing four batters in the ninth.Santana allowed three runners to get into scoring position before striking out Jace Peterson in the second, Chase dArnaud in the third and pinch-hitter Jeff Francoeur in the seventh.Pitching against the majors weakest offense, Santana improved to 3-2 with a 1.99 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break. Atlanta ranks last in runs and homers.He just commands both sides of the plate with his fastball, Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman said. Hes got that slider you think youre going to hit, and it just disappears. He had it working today.The Braves cut the lead to 3-2 in the eighth. Ryan Pressly gave up Matt Kemps RBI double and Nick Markakis RBI groundout, but he stranded a runner at third when Adonis Garcia lined out.Minnesota made it 4-2 in the ninth when Mauricio Cabrera, the sixth of seven Atlanta pitchers, gave up Plouffes RBI single.Mauer went 3 for 4 and is hitting .418 with 14 RBI in his last 19 games. Suzuki is hitting .322 with 26 RBI in his last 42 games.Atlanta starter Joel De La Cruz (0-6) gave up four hits, one run, two walks and struck four in 5 1/3 innings.The Twins are 15-8 in their last 23 road games. The Braves dropped to 18-40 at home.WELCOME TO THE BIGSBraves SS Dansby Swanson, the No. 1 overall draft pick of 2015, will be in the lineup Wednesday and make his major league debut when hes called up from Double-A Mississippi. Swanson replaces Erick Aybar, who was traded before Tuesdays game to Detroit for catching prospect Kade Scivicque. In 127 games in the minors, Swanson hit .277 with 10 homers and 66 RBI.TRAINERS ROOMTwins: Molitor said Miguel Sano could return to Wednesdays lineup after missing the last three games with a sore right elbow. An MRI taken Monday showed no structural damage. Sano had Tommy John surgery on the same elbow and missed the 2014 season.Braves: Interim manager Brian Snitker said All-Star RHP Julio Teheran was encouraged after making a rehab appearance Sunday at Triple-A Gwinnett. He allowed three hits and two runs -- one earned -- with five strikeouts in five innings. Teheran, the Atlanta ace, is expected to come off the DL and start Friday against Washington. Hes been sidelined since July 30 with a right lat strain.UP NEXTTwins: RHP Kyle Gibson (4-7) is 2-7 with a 6.10 ERA in 11 career interleague starts.Braves: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (6-5) won at Minnesota on July 27 despite giving up 12 hits and seven runs -- six earned -- in 5 1/3 innings. John Smoltz Braves Jersey . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. Nick Markakis Braves Jersey . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. https://www.cheapbraves.com/463o-max-fried-jersey-braves.html . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Grant Dayton Braves Jersey . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Stitched Braves Jerseys . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Michael Phelps is back for a sequel to his Olympic farewell.This time, he insists, it really is goodbye.After retiring and then un-retiring, Phelps will be in Rio as the first U.S. male swimmer to compete in five Olympics. He is already the most decorated athlete in the history of the games, with 18 golds and 22 medals overall, and at age 31 remains the biggest star in a sport that will also feature teen sensation Katie Ledecky and an increasingly diverse pool of potential champions from around the world.Look for Phelps to add significantly to his medal total. He qualified for his three best individual events and will likely be part of all three mens relays on the powerful U.S. team.Just dont expect another comeback.This is it, Phelps said. No more.Sure about that?Im done, he reiterated. The body is done. This is my last one.Phelps initially retired after the London Games, only to backtrack on that decision about 18 months later.Looking back to four years ago, Phelps said he didnt really want to be at the Olympics and wasnt in top condition, even though he was still good enough to capture four golds and two silvers. He came back with a rekindled passion for swimming, only to run into another major challenge when he was arrested for the second time on drunken driving charges.That led Phelps to completely overhaul his personal life. He went into therapy, gave up alcohol, got engaged, made peace with his estranged father and, in the biggest change of all, became a father for the first time when son Boomer was born in May.No matter what happens in Rio, this is how he really wants to go out.Here are some other things to watch at the swimming competition in Rio, which includes open water and the synchronized events:THE KATIE SHOW: Ledecky has gone from a surprise gold medalist in London to one of the worlds most dominant swimmers at age 19. She is the world-record holder and huge favorite in both the 400- and 800-meter freestyle, and could bring home another gold in the 200 free. In addition, she will anchor the 4x200 free relay for the Americans, making them the team to beat.AUSSIE COMEBACK: Australia has traditionally been the second-strongest swimming nation behind the U.S., but the team from Down Under endured a dismal showing in 2012 with only one gold medal and no individual victories. Look for a big comeback in Rio. The Aussies returned to form at last years world championships with seven golds and 16 medals overall. Sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell lead the way, along with Emily Seebohm and Mitch Larkin.NOT SO BUSY: Missy Franklin was one of the big stars in London, winning four golds and a bronze while competing in seven events. The 21-year-old American will have a lot more free time on her hands this time after a disappointiing performance at the U.ddddddddddddS. trials. Franklin qualified for only two individual events and her relay duties will be limited to the 4x200 freestyle. Its a similar story for another U.S. great, Ryan Lochte. The 11-time Olympic medalist sustained a groin injury on the first day of the U.S. trials and managed to qualify for only one individual race -- a far cry from the six events (four individual, two relays) he had in London.SHADOW OF DOPING: Gold medalists Sun Yang of China and Park Tae-hwan of South Korea will both swim in the Olympics after serving suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs. And several Russians were implicated in a huge state-sponsored doping ring. American Elizabeth Beisel said she is worried the competition in Rio wont be clean.HOME TEAM: While Brazil will field its largest swimming squad ever and have the crowd on its side, the home team will be missing its biggest star. World-record holder Cesar Cielo, a three-time Olympic medalist, stunningly failed to qualify at the Brazilian trials. Even so, the local fans should have plenty of reasons to cheer. Established swimmers such as Thiago Pereira, Bruno Fratus and Joana Maranhao are joined by up-and-comers Larissa Oliveira and Etiene Medeiros.LATE NIGHTS: For the second time in three Olympics, the schedule has been altered so the swimming events can be televised live in the U.S. during prime time. The change isnt quite as drastic as eight years ago in Beijing, when preliminaries were held in the evening and the finals the following morning. In Rio, the prelims have been moved back to 1 p.m. local time, while the finals wont begin until 10 p.m. -- both about three hours later than most meets.DIRTY WATER: The 10-kilometer open water races, a part of the Olympics since 2008, will be held against the gorgeous backdrop of Copacabana. The state of the water is not so pretty. There are major health concerns after Brazilian officials failed to live up to their pledge to clean up an ocean contaminated with raw sewage and potentially dangerous bacteria.RUSSIANS IN SYNC: Russias the overwhelming favorite in synchronized swimming, a sport known for hair gel, nose plugs, garish suits and dazzling showmanship. The Russians have not been beaten at the Olympics since 1996, and their only loss at the last three world championships came in a mixed-gender event that is not part of the Rio program. The only drama was whether theyd be cleared to compete. With that out of the way, Russia is good as gold.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . ' ' '