Michael Harris II hits 2 homers and Braves rout Nationals 12-0 despite López's early exit

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michael Harris II hit two of Atlanta's four home runs and the Braves had 15 hits in a 12-0 rout of the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night, despite losing starter Reynaldo López to a shoulder injury after one inning.

López left with right shoulder tightness after throwing 25 pitches, 16 for strikes. His fastball velocity — usually 96 mph — was down to the 89-94 mph range. He and three relievers limited the Nationals — losers of seven of their last 10 games — to three hits. López will undergo an MRI Wednesday.

“We are getting him looked at and we’ll determine something tomorrow," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s checking out OK. I talked to him. I just saw the velocities were not good, and then when I talked to him after and kind of made him fess up and he wanted to keep going. But when he stepped on it he didn’t feel great.”

López said he was surprised.

“To be honest I really didn’t know what was happening," he said via an interpreter. "I felt like that first pitch went out and I thought it was 95 mph and it I took up and it was 89 mph. So that took me by surprise. That was just something I wasn’t expecting. I was definitely relieved when everything came back normal and good. I think it is right we are just being overly cautious.”

It was the fourth multi-homer game of Harris' career. Sean Murphy hit a two-run shot and Orlando Arcia had solo homer one night after the Braves mustered only a pair singles by Matt Olson in a 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

Atlanta hit three doubles in the four-run third, then added three runs in the next frame to chase Nationals left-handed starter MacKenzie Gore and pull even with the Mets for the final NL wild card.

Ramón Laureano and Murphy each had two hits and three RBIs. Olson added two singles and a double, his third multi-hit game in his last four.

“I think we just got into a rhythm pretty quick in the third inning," Laureano said. "We didn’t look back. It was a pretty smooth game after that.”

With two outs in the bottom of the first, López hit Nationals designated hitter Andrés Chaparro with a pitch. The right-hander was checked by Braves medical staff, but stayed in to finish the inning with a called third strike to José Tena.

“It was little frustrating, especially just given the circumstances," López said. “The position the team is in, every game counts. We are fighting for every victory out there. So whenever a start of a game I want to go out there and finish it. Not being able to do that was frustrating.”

López had tossed at least six innings this past three starts and has been mainstay in the Braves rotation for 24 starts after signing a three-year free agent deal from the White Sox.

Right-hander Jesse Chavez (2-2) came on for López and held the Nationals to one hit, striking out three.

Gore (8-12) lasted 3 2/3 innings, surrendering seven runs, but just two earned runs, with six hits, three walks, three strikeouts, one hit by pitch and one wild pitch.

“I just didn’t execute like I have been," Gore said. “And when you see teams for a fourth time, execution is extremely important.”

Chaparro stole second base in the first inning to become the 23rd Nationals player with a stolen base this season, matching the 1917 Pittsburgh Pirates. It was Chaparro’s first major league stolen base.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: RHP Trevor Williams (right flexor muscle strain, 15-day IL) tossed three shutout innings on 28 pitches — 21 for strikes — allowing three hits and striking out one in his first rehab assignment for Double-A Harrisburg.

UP NEXT

Braves LHP Max Fried (9-8, 3.35 ERA) opposes Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (9-12, 4.28) to wrap up the two-game series.

This story has been changed to correct that the Braves and Mets are tied in the wild-card race.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Harris II, left, watches Braves second baseman Luke Williams catch a pop up fly ball by Washington Nationals' Keibert Ruiz for the second out of the sixth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams dives and misses Atlanta Braves Michael Harris II's single during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Washington Nationals second baseman Darren Baker tosses the ball to second base to create a double play to end the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Atlanta Braves' Sean Murphy runs home past Braves third base coach Matt Tuiasosopo after hitting two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Luke Jackson, left, is congratulated by Braves catcher Sean Murphy after finishing off the ninth inning to defeat the Washington Nationals in a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Atlanta Braves' Marcell Ozuna advances to third base on a Braves' Matt Olson RBI double during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams, left, fields a late throw as Atlanta Braves' Luke Williams steals second base during the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Washington Nationals' James Wood, left, runs past Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson on a double during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Luke Jackson follows through during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Washington Nationals first baseman Joey Gallo, center, cannot tag Atlanta Braves' Luke Williams on a throwing error during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Atlanta Braves' Matt Olson, left, hits a RBI double in front of Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Washington Nationals' James Wood follows through on a double during the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy" Combs was expected to appear before a federal judge in New York on Tuesday after his indictment on undisclosed criminal charges.

The music mogul was arrested late Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami.

The indictment detailing the charges was expected to be unsealed Tuesday morning, according to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.

Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse. He has denied many of those allegations and his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse Tuesday morning that Combs would plead not guilty. Agnifilo said he would “fight like hell” to try and get his client released from custody.

Agnifilo said he didn’t have details on the indictment, but that Combs knew it was coming and had relocated to New York two weeks ago in anticipation. Of Combs, he said, “His spirits are good. He’s confident.”

Combs, 54, was recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop before a flood of allegations that emerged over the past year turned him into an industry pariah.

In November, his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit saying he had beaten and raped her for years. She accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fueled settings.

The suit was settled in one day but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her on a floor. After the video aired, Combs apologized, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it.”

Combs and his attorneys, however, denied similar allegations made by others in a string of lawsuits.

Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Cassie, said in a statement Tuesday that “neither Ms. Ventura nor I have any comment.”

“We appreciate your understanding and if that changes, we will certainly let you know,” he added.

A woman said Combs raped her two decades ago when she was 17. A music producer sued, saying Combs forced him to have sex with prostitutes. Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs subjected her to “terrifying sexual encounters,” starting when she was a college student in 1994.

The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie and Lampros did.

Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has gotten out of legal trouble before.

In 2001, he was acquitted of charges related to a Manhattan nightclub shooting two years earlier that injured three people. His then-protege, Shyne, was convicted of assault and other charges and served about eight years in prison.

This story has been corrected to show that Combs' age is 54, not 58.

Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

FILE - Host Sean "Diddy" Combs presents the revolt black excellence award at the Billboard Music Awards, May 15, 2022, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment

FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center on May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)