ATLANTA -- For Ervin Santana, throwing strike after strike was even better than a no-hitter -- especially when his impressive command came in his Atlanta debut. Santana allowed only three hits over eight scoreless innings, Jason Heyward homered and drove in two runs and the Braves held off the New York Mets 4-3 on Wednesday night. Santanas first 20 pitches were strikes. He threw only one ball in his first three innings. "That one was close," he said with a smile before adding "Thats all right." Santana threw a no-hitter with the Angels in 2011. "This is better than a no-hitter," he said. "When you throw strikes all the time, that means youre in control of the game." Mets manager Terry Collins said he could name only one pitcher who threw so many consecutive strikes. "(Roy) Halladays about the only guy Ive seen," Collins said. "We chased some balls out of the zone early, which helped (Santana) a little bit." The Braves bullpen almost blew a 4-0 lead in the ninth. Jordan Walden walked Eric Young Jr. and gave up a one-out single to David Wright. Craig Kimbrel walked Curtis Granderson to load the bases before striking out Lucas Duda. Juan Lagares drove in two runs with a single, and Travis dArnaud added a run-scoring single before Kimbrel fanned Ruben Tejada for his fourth save. "Im more frustrated for giving up somebody elses runs and making it close," Kimbrel said. Santana (1-0) was sharp from the start, throwing 28 strikes in his first 29 pitches. He finished with six strikeouts and no walks. He said he didnt expect to have such strong command. "Honestly, no. In the bullpen I was all over the place," Santana said. "I just stepped over the line and focused and threw strikes." Santana signed a $14.1 million, one-year contract with Atlanta after the Braves lost starters Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy to season-ending elbow injuries last month. He pitched like he belongs near the top of the rotation as he threw only 88 pitches, 65 for strikes. Zack Wheeler (0-2) allowed four runs on eight hits in five innings for the Mets. Heyward took a 0-for-22 slump into the game and was hitting only .107, with three hits in 28 at-bats. He doubled his hits total with the homer and two singles in his first three at-bats. Heyward led off the first inning with an 11-pitch at-bat against Wheeler before pulling a 3-2 fastball over the wall in right-centre for his second homer. "Its a tough way to start the game, going that deep into the count and him hitting a home run, but it was a good at-bat for him," Wheeler said. "He just came out on top on that one." The Braves added three runs off Wheeler in the fifth. Evan Gattis doubled and scored on Heywards single to right field. Santana, who slapped a single to right for his fifth career hit, and Heyward scored on Freddie Freemans single. Each team had defensive highlights early in the game. In the first inning, Lagares raced back to make a leaping catch of Freemans drive at the wall, his cleat leaving a rip in the cushion. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons showed his Gold Glove form in the second. The shortstop went to his right to field a grounder by dArnaud before slipping, hopping up to one knee and throwing out dArnaud at first base, with Freeman stretching for the throw. An excited Santana pumped his fist, shouted and pointed at Simmons. Santana celebrated with another fist-pump after Heyward, sprinting toward the right-centre gap, ended the sixth by catching Wrights drive before falling on the warning track. NOTES: Braves LHP Luis Avilan, who left Tuesday nights game with a hamstring cramp, had no problems throwing in the bullpen before Wednesdays game and said hell be careful to remain hydrated in cooler weather. ... CF Jordan Schafer was 0-for-3 in his first start of the season. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said B.J. Upton, hitting .138, will be back in the lineup on Thursday. ... Braves LHP Mike Minor (sore shoulder) and RHP Gavin Floyd (elbow surgery) are scheduled for their next rehab appearances on Sunday. ... RHP Pedro Beato was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett to clear a roster spot for Santana. ... Braves RHP David Hale will face Mets RHP Jenry Mejia in the final game of the series on Thursday night. Fake Jordan . PETERSBURG, Fla. Air Jordan Outlet . The San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders are giving it a try, too. https://www.jordanchina.us/. In a matchup of teams battling head-to-head for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccers Western Conference, the Whitecaps run to the post-season took a hard hit when FC Dallas blew open a tie game with two goals in the final minutes for a 3-1 victory Saturday night. Clearance Air Jordan Store . Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions. Jordan China . Carcillo was a little of both for New York in Game 3. Derek Stepan, Martin St. Louis, Dan Girardi and Carcillo scored goals, leading the Rangers to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State made a move to fill an important role behind point guard Stephen Curry on the first day teams were allowed to speak with free agents. The Warriors and guard Shaun Livingston agreed to a three-year contract worth about $16 million Tuesday night, a person familiar with the deal said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because teams cant sign free agents until the NBAs moratorium ends July 10. "We intend to enter into a player contract with Shaun Livingston once the moratorium period ends," Warriors general manager Bob Myers confirmed in a statement. Per league rules, Myers could not comment further. Yahoo Sports first reported the agreement. The Warriors are hoping Livingston can bring some relief off the bench behind Curry, which proved problematic at times last season after Jarrett Jack left for Cleveland in free agency. Golden State started the season with Toney Douglas before trading him to Miami and acquiring Jordan Crawford and Steve Blake in separate trades. Crawford and Blake are not expected back. The 28-year-old Livingston averaged 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists with Brooklyn last season. The veteran guuard started 54 games -- several when point guard Deron Williams was injured -- to help the Nets rebound from a horrific start and reach the second round of the playoffs.dddddddddddd "Thank you Brooklyn for embracing me....," Livingston wrote on Twitter. "Golden State, excited to be part of the movement!!!" The 6-foot-7 Livingston is a big, versatile point guard that would seem to fit well in new coach Steve Kerrs system, which is predicated on ball movement and slashing. Livingston is known for his good instincts and strong post game, and his defence has improved throughout his career, which was nearly cut short by a severe knee injury. Livingstons days on the court seemed over when he tore three ligaments and dislocated his left kneecap with the Los Angeles Clippers in a game against Charlotte on Feb. 26, 2007. Livingston, who skipped college and was the No. 4 pick in the 2004 draft, missed an entire season and played in just 12 games with Oklahoma City and Miami when he returned in 2008-09. Livingston has worked his way back ever since, and he became a solid rotation regular for the Nets last season. The Warriors will be the ninth team he has played for in his professional career. ' ' '