MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Atlanta, GA

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ATLANTA -- Travis d'Arnaud hit his first three home runs of the season, including a grand slam in the sixth that gave Atlanta the lead, and the Braves beat the Texas Rangers 8-3 on Friday night for their fifth straight win.

Chris Sale (2-1) allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings in the interleague matchup of first-place teams, but the left-hander didn't want to talk about his pitching.

"To be honest, nobody cares," Sale said. "We're here to talk about one thing and one thing only. Tonight was about Travis, and that was nothing short of electric."

After driving in six runs with the three homers, d'Arnaud said, "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good."

Adolis Garcia's two-run double off Sale in the sixth tied it at 3.

Rangers left-hander Jacob Latz (0-1) issued one-out walks to Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna before a single by Michael Harris II loaded the bases for the NL East-leading Braves. D'Arnaud lined a fastball from Latz 433 feet to left-center for his third career grand slam and second three-homer game.

D'Arnaud was a surprise offensive star against the AL West-leading Rangers. He entered with six RBIs for the season before driving in six Friday night.

Given an opportunity to join Bob Horner in 1986 against Montreal as the only Atlanta players to hit four homers in a game, d'Arnaud grounded out to shortstop Corey Seager in the eighth. He hit his first two homers off left-hander Andrew Heaney.

"I'm sure everybody was hoping to see something like that," d'Arnaud said of the chance for a fourth homer.

Heaney allowed three runs and five hits with two walks in five innings. Both walks came in a long first inning.

"I thought he regrouped and threw the ball very well," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's the guy we need and so he should, I think, feel good about how he finished up his outing."

Harris added an eighth-inning homer for Atlanta.

On the day ace Spencer Strider made his first return trip to the Braves clubhouse since having season-ending elbow surgery April 13, a healthy Sale provided a boost of confidence for the rotation. The left-hander allowed only two hits and one run in his first five innings.

Ozuna's run-scoring single in the first extended his hitting streak to 17 games, the longest of his career and the longest active streak in the majors.

ATLANTA - A Caribbean cuisine favorite in Atlanta’s Castleberry Hill community went up in flames Saturday morning.

Dat Fire Jerk Chicken on Northside Drive was burnt to a crisp after the fire officials said it started around 11:30 am. Video obtained by FOX 5 shows fire crews on the scene as smoke and flames poured from the roof of the restaurant.

"We had a fire here in our grill area," Chef Jay John told FOX 5. "It is a tragic situation…would not wish this on anyone."

John, a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, told FOX 5 he watched as flames turned the business he spent nine years building into charred remains.

"Absolutely devastating…you see something that you built with your own two hands, you see a vision that you have destroyed…it’s devastating," he said.

Hours later the grill was still smoldering and customers who stopped by were stunned to see their favorite Jamaican jerk spot reduced to ashes.

"I was definitely shocked when I pulled up because I went through a lot of traffic to get here…I had plans to get some oxtail today so I’m kind of thrown off a little bit," Tashara Brown told FOX 5.

Fire officials said thankfully, no one was injured.

"My number one priority was just to get the staff and any customers you know safe," John recalled.

The restaurant owner said while he was glad no one was injured, his business will suffer and will now be forced to close for the weekend. He told FOX 5 even still; the restaurant will rise from those ashes.

"Like the phoenix, Dat Fire is very strong, resilient, and we will be triumphant."

Dat Fire Jerk Chicken will re-open on Monday, operating out of its food truck and resuming its catering service with hopes the community will continue to support it.

"We’re just asking for our customers and our community to continue to embrace us as they always have."

Tashara Roberts is one of those customers who share Jamaican heritage. She said she believes their resilience is a testament to the culture of the country.

"It’s the fact that they’re still thriving and willing to keep going says a lot about faith, it says a lot about them believing in their ability to bounce back," Roberts added.

Atlanta Fire officials said the cause of the fire is under investigation. John said you can support the restaurant by following Dat Fire Jerk Chicken’s page on social media for the latest updates, events, and food truck locations.

Check out the best plays and moments from the Atlanta Braves' 8-3 win over the Texas Rangers.

Major League Baseball Marcus Semien Michael Harris Adolis García Texas Rangers Atlanta Braves MLB - Texas Rangers vs. Atlanta Braves - 04/19/2024

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For weeks, perhaps months, the course for the Falcons has felt pretty clear at pick No. 8. If you’re truly married to getting the best player available, perhaps you consider a top tier wide receiver, but there figures to be a high-end pass rusher or cornerback at that pick and the means to get that player. There’s a reason Dallas Turner has been a popular mock draft selection for a long time now; the team’s needs and his ability align.

But for all that smooth pre-draft narrative to this point, the actual pick is an unknown, and the Falcons could always throw us a knee-buckling curveball at the last moment. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, one of the more respected insider when it comes to all things draft, hinted that Atlanta might have one of those ready to roll next week.

The player in question? Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy, widely considered one of the best (or outright the best) interior options in a class not exactly brimming with them. Generally he’s ranked anywhere from just outside the top ten to the back half of the first round, but Jeremiah believes Murphy may wind up being one of the first ten players selected.

Daniel Jeremiah "If you asked me today, who is a surprise top 10 pick? Like who is the 8th pick in the draft that we didn't see coming? It is Byron Murphy. That is a name that is being called a lot around the league. I wouldn't sleep on him going much higher than we all think."

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) April 18, 2024

From Daniel Jeremiah’s media call from the draft, he mentions that Verse, Latu and Turner all will be in play at 8, but says a GM told him Byron Murphy could go in the top 10 and wouldn’t rule ATL as a landing spot for the talented DT out of Texas. Officially a week out, and… pic.twitter.com/zTEInNAuXy

— Damski (@Damski32) April 18, 2024

Raheem Morris is well aware of the importance of having a strong defensive interior with one really good player serving as a differentiator, as he’s coached a dominant player in three of his past four coaching stops between Tampa Bay (Gerald McCoy), Atlanta (Grady Jarrett, especially young Jarrett), and Aaron Donald. If the Falcons think Murphy can be anywhere near that kind of player, they may view the opportunity to land him as an irresistible one, given that their defensive interior today is highlighted by players on the wrong side of 30 (Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata, Eddie Goldman) and younger rotational options (LaCale London, Ta’Quon Graham). Remember, 2023 Rams third round pick Kobie Turner was a breakout player in Morris’s defense last year, and while he and Murphy are different players with 20 pounds difference between them, Morris was able to effectively utilize a young defensive lineman to the tune of nine sacks. If he loves Murphy, he may be tempted to try that again, possibly turning this line into a legitimate problem in the process.

And it’s not particularly difficult to see how a team might fall in love with him. Murphy’s lack of size is a knock I see in scouting reports, but he’s listed as the same height and a few pounds heavier than Jarrett, a player who was called “undersized” but is generally recognized as one of the better defensive tackles in the NFL over the past decade. Frankly, that particular point has rarely seemed less relevant than it does today, after Jarrett, Aaron Donald, and Ed Oliver have proved to be anywhere from very good to legendary players who have earned that particular label. If you move beyond that, Murphy is a powerful, relentless player who could be a really good pass rusher in the NFL as well as a high-end defender against the run. Those kinds of players are mighty useful.

Doing this would mean passing on one of the top-tier EDGE players (and cornerback, if that’s your desire) available in the first round and banking on getting one later on, which of course comes with no small amount of risk. There are expected to be options available late in the first round and early in the second, so if the Falcons are hellbent on stacking help for their defensive front, that may well be an option. To pass on the likes of Dallas Turner, Jared Verse, and Laiatu Latu, the Falcons would have to believe Murphy was better than them and a better fit for their needs in the here and now. With a new coaching staff with new priorities in town, and knowing the defensive interior is unsettled after this season, perhaps that will prove to be the case. I don’t imagine it would be an immediately popular selection, but it would not be the kind of out-of-left-field pick that, say, an offensive tackle would be.

This is dot-connecting and nothing more, but it’s interesting enough that I wanted to flag it for everyone’s attention with the draft less than a week away. If we start hearing more buzz around the Falcons and Murphy, it may portend a pick none of us expected a short time ago.

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ATLANTA -- Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider began to feel discomfort in his right elbow in spring training but didn't realize the severity of the injury until learning he needed season-ending surgery.

Strider said he had a bone fragment develop following Tommy John surgery in 2019 that caused the ulnar collateral ligament to become unstable. Strider also said he did not have a tear that required a second Tommy John surgery and he instead had an internal brace procedure, perhaps giving him a better opportunity to recover for the start of the 2025 season.

Strider finally complained about the issue after pitching four innings in Atlanta's 6-5 win over Arizona on April 5.

"You're not going to feel good when you're playing baseball every day," Strider said Friday while standing in front of his locker in his first news conference since the surgery. "So I'm not searching for that. You know, like I said, I'm going to pitch through anything if I feel like I can help the team and I felt like I couldn't do that anymore, so I thought it's time to say something."

An MRI the next day revealed damage to his UCL. Texas Rangers physician Dr. Keith Meister performed the procedure on April 13.

"They're theorizing that I tore some connective tissue ... and that's what destabilized the ligament," Strider said. "And maybe I blew through the last of that on that game and things deteriorated pretty quickly throughout the outing."

Strider was Atlanta's No. 1 starting pitcher after going 20-5 with 281 strikeouts in last year, when he led the major leagues in wins and strikeouts.

With his right arm immobilized in a sling, Strider said he will look for ways to support his teammates.

"These guys don't don't need me to to win a World Series," he said. "So you know they're going to pursue that journey. I'll be here here to cheer them on."

Replacing Strider will be a challenge.

Right-hander Allan Winans allowed seven runs -- six earned -- over five innings in a 16-15 loss to the New York Mets on April 11 and was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett after the game.

Right-hander Darius Vines had more success, allowing one run and four hits with four strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings of a 6-1 win at Houston on Monday. Vines is scheduled to make his second start of the season on Sunday night against Texas.