ay a two-goal lead, secured by Bartosz Kapustka and captain Robert Lewandowski, to draw 2-2 in Kazakhstan. Two quick

WASHINGTON -- Gio Gonzalez is picking the right time to pitch his best baseball of the season.With just a few weeks left in regular-season play, the veteran left-hander has thrown well in his last few starts for the Washington Nationals. He is 2-0 with a 3.06 ERA in his last three starts.He will take the mound Tuesday night at home to face the Atlanta Braves, who will start right-hander Williams Perez.And Braves interim manager Brian Snitker knows that Perez will have to contend with rookie Trea Turner, has been a spark plug in the leadoff spot for the Nationals.Turner went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs in a 6-4 win over the Braves on Monday.He is something else, Snitker said. He is a very, very special young player. He is making the most of this opportunity that is for sure. He is tough.Turner, now hitting .343, has been grateful for his opportunity. All three of his hits Monday came with two strikes.Put the ball in play, he said of his two-strike approach. I have an idea what they are going to throw me. With two strikes it is hard to guess. I try to see the ball and put the bat on it. I would rather swing a close pitch than take it for strike three.Teammate Gonzalez is 10-9 this season with a 4.14 ERA and is 0-0 with a 2.31 ERA against the Braves in two starts this season. He has won at least 10 games in every season, when he pitched for the Oakland As.Gonzalez was acquired in a trade with Oakland before the 2012 season and that year he won 21 games for the Nationals. He is 101-75 in his career with a 3.67 ERA.Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman, who hits the Nationals very well, and outfielder Matt Kemp have had success against Gonzalez in the past.Freeman is hitting .290 with two homers and 10 RBI against Gonzalez. Kemp is hitting .308 in 13 at-bats.Gonzalez had been able to neutralize Atlanta right fielder Nick Markakis, a left-handed batter. The former Orioles outfielder is hitting .167 in 18 at-bats against the Washington left-hander and he had three hits Monday.Perez was activated from the 60-day disabled list when rosters expanded on Sept. 1 and he will make his first start since June 6, when he strained his right rotator cuff.Perez made three rehab starts in the minor leaguers, with five shutout innings in his last start for Triple-A Gwinnett in the International League.There are few Washington hitters with a track record against Perez, who is 2-2 with a 4.62 ERA this year in nine starts and 1-0 with a 5.68 ERA in two games, with one start,in 2016 against Washington.Clint Robinson is 2-for-3 against Perez, Bryce Harper is 1-for-4 with a homer, Daniel Murphy is 3-for-6 and Anthony Rendon is 1-for-3.The Nationals won Monday as normal reserves Robinson, Chris Heisey (three-run homer), Ben Revere, Brian Goodwin and Jose Lobaton were starters. All but Robinson got a hit.Thats what theyre here for, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said of his bench. Ive always said you cant win with just your regulars. Youve got to get those other guys some opportunities to play. We feel very confident, especially for a short period of time, that those guys can do the job. ... The circle is not completed unless youre dependent on everybody in that circle, so everybody in that circle is important. That was a big day today, to win that game.The guys feel good about themselves, the regulars got a day off, get a good night sleep. (Bryce Harper) said it best, sittingnext to me in the dugout. He said, I love this team because we are a team. Thats the kind of attitude you want to have on a team. Vapormax Saldi . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. Vapormax Off White Italia . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. http://www.scarpevapormaxscontate.it/vapormax-off-white-italia.html . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Vapormax Plus Blu . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. Vapormax 97 Scontate . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. Germany has made a flying start to its mission to become the first country in more than 50 years to defend its World Cup title.With an emphatic win in Norway, the Germans got Julys European Championship semifinal loss to France out of their system Sunday.Even Thomas Mueller has regained his confidence, putting his perplexing Germany goal drought behind him by scoring twice in the 3-0 win at the start of World Cup qualifying.Mueller scrambled in the opener in the 15th minute after his first attempt was blocked by Even Hovland and Havard Nordtveit before heading in his second on the hour. For good measure, Mueller also set up Bayern Munich teammate Joshua Kimmich for his first international goal.With Thomas Mueller Id rather he had scored a few goals at the European Championship, Germany coach Joachim Loew joked of the forward who hadnt scored internationally since October 2015.Not since Brazil in 1962 has a team won back-to-back world titles. For now the priority is qualifying for Russia and only the group winners automatically gain a place at the tournament in 2018. Eight of the nine best runner-ups from the groups contest playoffs.---GROUP CAlso in Germanys group, Ruslan Gurbanovs first international goal gave Azerbaijan a 1-0 win in San Marino, which had defender Cristian Brolli sent off early in the second half. Northern Ireland held the Czech Republic to a goalless draw in Prague, where Karel Jarolim endured a frustrating debut in charge of the hosts.---GROUP FAdam Lallana pounced in the fifth minute of stoppage time to ensure Sam Allardyce made a winning start as England manager, clinching a 1-0 victory over Slovakia.England had a man-advantage from the 57th minute when Martin Skrtel received a second yellow card for another foul on Harry Kane but the visitors left it late to break through Slovakias resistance. Sloppy goalkeepingg helped Lallana score his first England goal in his 27th international after his shot went through Matus Kozaciks legs.ddddddddddddEveryone back home was waiting with bated breath and we scored the winner, said Allardyce, who never featured for England as a player and has only previously managed modest domestic clubs. We dominated the game and finally got what we deserved. The result did us justice in the end.Wayne Rooney became Englands most capped outfield player, surpassing the record he held with David Beckham, by making a 116th appearance. Goalkeeper Peter Shilton made a record 125 England appearances between 1970 and 1990.Englands next group opponent in October is Malta, which was routed 5-1 by neighbor Scotland. Robert Snodgrass scored a hat trick, with the opener a cross that flew over backtracking goalkeeper Andrew Hogg. Two Malta players -- Jonathan Caruana and Luke Gambin -- were sent off in the second half for fouling Snodgrass.Surprise starter Chris Martin and substitute Steven Fletcher also scored for Scotland, which is looking to qualify for its first tournament since the 1998 World Cup.Slovenia staged a late fightback to draw 2-2 at Lithuania.---GROUP EDenmark is setting the early pace after Christian Eriksen sealed a 1-0 win over Armenia.Poland threw away a two-goal lead, secured by Bartosz Kapustka and captain Robert Lewandowski, to draw 2-2 in Kazakhstan. Two quick goals in the second half from Sergei Khizhnichenko ensured Kazakhstan opened qualifying with a point.Romania was held to a 1-1 draw by Montenegro with Nicolae Stanciu missing the chance to win it for the hosts when he missed a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time.---Ciaran Fahey in Berlin contributed to this report. ' ' '