Smith plays like veteran to help lead Braves

KANSAS CITY — On consecutive plays in the middle of the Braves’ 5-0 win over the Royals on Saturday night, Atlanta fans got a sneak preview of coming attractions from their young center fielder.

Mallex Smith ended the fifth with a tumbling catch in deep right-center on Paulo Orlando’s drive to keep the Royals from jumping on top. Then, Smith led off the sixth with an authoritative double to right that fueled a three-run rally. These are the golden glimpses of the future that the Braves will cling to as they venture through this rebuilding season.

Smith dramatically changed Saturday’s game on a cool, windy night and hopes to tilt a lot more games toward Atlanta over the coming months and years.

Smith went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple, elevating his batting average from .215 to .241. Manager Fredi Gonzalez likes what he sees from Smith so much that Gonzalez said after Saturday’s game that he’s planning to start the left-handed-hitting Smith against left-hander Danny Duffy in Sunday’s rubber game.

The Braves could not turn a …

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