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NEW YORK -- Atlanta Braves pitchers have always had a knack for being good at the plate, as well as on the mound. Mike Minor is the newest member of the club as he showed off his arm and his bat Thursday night in a 6-1 win over the New York Mets. "It was fun to have a night like this hitting and pitching," he said. Minor (6-8) had an RBI single in the second for the games first run. He doubled and scored in the eighth, then took a two-hit shutout into the bottom half. "At one point of the game he was everything," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He pitched well, drove in a run, (had) a double. He was not only pitching well, he was our offence for six innings." Minor was perfect for four innings before Lucas Duda led off the fifth with a single that just barely touched the glove of leaping shortstop Andrelton Simmons. "Today I thought his curveball was probably his best pitch, other than commanding his fastball," Gonzalez said. "He had a nice mix going and good for him. Young man earlier in the year had some tough luck and I think hes progressing in the right direction." In his previous start, Minor took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning against Cincinnati. Before that, Minor had given up three earned runs or more in nine of his previous eleven starts. "Any day you face the Braves youre going to face a pretty good pitcher," Mets third baseman David Wright said. "He threw a lot of fastballs -- some were straight, some cut and some sank. His fastball command was excellent." Wright was 0 for 4 in his return to the lineup after missing two games with a muscle spasm on the right side of his neck. Minor gave up four hits, struck out five and walked none. The Mets did not have a runner in scoring position until Travis dArnaud opened the eighth with a double. Eric Campbell followed with an RBI single, ending Minors night. Jonathon Niese (7-10) only allowed one run until Minor and the Citi Field wind helped Atlanta score twice in the eighth. Minor led off the eighth with his fifth career double, a ball that the wind carried over the head of right fielder Curtis Granderson. Emilio Bonifacio hit a triple to centre field that was also helped by the wind, and scored on Freddie Freemans single. Pinch-hitter Ryan Doumit had a two-run, wind-aided, homer onto the bridge beyond the wall in right-centre field in a three-run ninth. Doumit connected off Daisuke Matsuzaka, who came off the disabled list before the game. Bonifacio also had a run-scoring single for his fourth hit. He drove in two runs and stole a base. . The redshirt freshman finished the regular season with nearly 3,500 passing yards, and 35 touchdowns with another three on the ground while leading the Seminoles to the top of the BCS Rankings. . Kenny Miller scored from the penalty spot and Camilo Sanvezzo came off the bench to add two late goals as the Whitecaps kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-0 victory over the sagging Impact on Saturday afternoon. http://www.waterbottleblackfriday.com/. The world No. 1 had one of the most dominating performances in a final and was on his way to a possible shutout on Sunday until the third-seeded Berdych broke the super Serbs serve in the 12th game of the match. . The NFL says Wednesday that the game between the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions at Wembley on Oct. 26 will start at 1:30 p. ., will experience this week. A year in which the Canadian curling championship has been pushed forward a week to accommodate the Winter Olympics was deemed the perfect chance to stage the event in Montreal for the first time since 1979.PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The play might not have happened in September. Stephon Tuitt might not have been ready. Vince Williams might not have even been on the field.Yet there Tuitt was last Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie defensive tackle slamming into Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles in the third quarter of a four-point game. There was Williams, a second-year linebacker who wasnt part of the plan a few weeks ago, pouncing on the ball. There were the Steelers reclaiming momentum and a 20-12 victory that assured them of a return to the playoffs after a two-year absence.That was an awesome moment, a spectacular moment of the game, Tuitt said. Im glad I could be a part of it.Something thats happening with increased regularity over the last two months as Pittsburgh (10-5) surged toward the post-season. The influx of youth the Steelers needed to overhaul an aging roster is starting to mature. Each weekend, a bevy of 20-somethings have propelled the franchise back to relevance after consecutive 8-8 seasons.Pittsburgh can win the AFC North with a victory over Cincinnati (10-4-1) on Sunday night. It would be the franchises first division title since 2010. Thats not considered a drought in most places. Then again, Tuitt knows he doesnt work in most places. The main hallway at the team headquarters is the only spot in the world where theres a display filled with a half-dozen Vince Lombardi trophies.Those seven-pound, 22-inch symbols of greatness are a constant reminder the team didnt alter its definition of success even as it underwent a seismic roster shift following a wild card loss to Denver in the 2011 playoffs.Only 21 players remain from the group that walked off the field in stunning disbelief after Tim Tebow — yes, Tim Tebow — and Demaryius Thomas hooked up for an 80-yard catch and run that brought a solid season to a crushing end. In the place of Hines Ward, James Farrior and Aaron Smith is a collection of young 20-somethings like Tuitt and Williams, forced to learn on the fly.The growing process hasnt always been pretty. There was the collapse down the stretch in 2012 that included five losses in the last seven games. The 0-4 start that ended 2013 before it really began. The baffling upset at the hands of Tampa Bay in Week 4.ddddddddddddGetting through it wasnt easy. Yet linebacker Sean Spence — who missed all of 2012 and 2013 with a knee injury — believes it might have been unavoidable. The only way to learn is to be on the field. Theres no film preparation that can replace having to get out there and actually do it.The film sessions and practices that accompanied Pittsburghs erratic 3-3 start were difficult. Without them, however, Spence isnt sure the Steelers are back in the playoffs.A lot of young guys have been playing. That can be good and bad. But I think thats been good for us, Spence said. We went through those growing pains early in the season, losing close games, letting teams come back instead of keeping them down when they was down. I think thats paid off a lot.Pittsburgh has outscored the opposition 35-13 in the fourth quarter of its three-game winning streak. All four of the touchdowns have come courtesy of 22-year-old running back LeVeon Bell and the 23-year-old wide receiver Martavis Bryant. Both were still college underclassmen the last time the Steelers won a playoff game. Both will be relied on heavily as the Steelers prep for January.This is about development and about evolving as the season goes on, offensive co-ordinator Todd Haley said. Its an evolution and its guys growing into their roles, understanding their roles sometimes.Even if they can vary from week to week. The Steelers were so frustrated by the slow development along the defensive line they brought back Brett Keisel near the end of training camp and re-signed 36-year-old James Harrison following injuries to Ryan Shazier and Jarvis Jones.Keisels season is over with a torn triceps and Jones and Shazier are now healthy. Yet Williams has played his way into the rotation and Tuitts growth over second half of the year has him playing meaningful snaps in meaningful games. The kids are growing up just in time.You have to give them credit, defensive co-ordinator Dick LeBeau said. They stuck through the ups and downs.NOTES: S Troy Polamalu (knee) and CB Ike Taylor (shoulder, forearm) were limited on Wednesday. Tackle Kelvin Beachum (back), TE Matt Spaeth (elbow) and Williams (ankle) did practice.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '