Olson hits 26th, leads Braves to fifth straight win

Matt Olson homered late and doubled in an early run and the host Atlanta Braves won their fifth straight game, beating the Minnesota Twins 3-0 Wednesday for a series sweep.

Atlanta has won 21 of 25 to improve to a National League-leading 53-27. Kolby Allard, Kirby Yates, A.J. Minter, Joe Jiménez and Raisel Iglesias combined on the four-hitter with 14 strikeouts.

Olson's 26th homer, which leads the NL, came off Jordan Balazovic in the eighth and made it 3-0.

The Twins closed their clubhouse after the game, and only manager Rocco Baldelli was made available to speak with reporters.

“Yeah, we're scrapping just to score a run right now,” Baldelli said. “We're going to have to win some close ballgames like that, but you can't win every game clawing for a run, two runs. It feels like we've been like that for a long time.” NATIONALS 4, MARINERS 1 >> Patrick Corbin (59) tossed seven shutout innings, visiting Washington jumped on Seattle starter Logan Gilbert for three first-inning runs and the Nationals won another series with a win over the Mariners. Washington picked up another unexpected series victory and added another layer to the growing frustration of Seattle's underperforming season. The Nationals took two of three against the Mariners after doing the same in San Diego last weekend.

PIRATES 7, PADRES 1 >> Mitch Keller allowed one run in six innings and host Pittsburgh scored five times in the seventh to rout San Diego. Keller (9-3) gave up four hits and had five strikeouts and two walks. The five runs in the seventh all came before the first out was recorded. Josh Palacios had a pinch-hit RBI single, and Connor Joe and Henry Davis followed with tworun singles.

San Diego has lost four straight and seven of nine to fall to 37-43.

METS OWNER THREATENS SELLOFF >> New York Mets owner Steven Cohen is threatening his underperforming team with the prospect of a trade deadline selloff unless it gets back into contention for a playoff berth.

“All is not lost yet, but it's getting late,” he said during a news conference Wednesday. “I'm preparing my management team for all possibilities. If they don't get better, we have decisions to make at the trade deadline. That's not my preferred end result. We're preparing all contingencies.”

Cohen said manager Buck Showalter and general manager Billy Eppler will keep their jobs no matter what through the end of the season.

New York — 36-44 after losing 5-2 to at home to Milwaukee on Wednesday — currently projects to a $360 million payroll and is on track for a record luxury tax of about $99 million. The Mets are shattering the previous payroll high for $291 million set by the 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers, who set a tax record that year at $43.6 million.