Not the way you want to start the last series before the All-Star Break
Entering the final weekend of the regular season before the upcoming All-Star Break, the Atlanta Braves (41-52) led wire-to-wire over the Cardinals (50-45) to take game one of the series 6-5.
Atlanta DH Sean Murphy hit the two longest home runs at Busch Stadium Friday night, his first one was a two-run shot that ended up traveling 437 feet to left center field in the first inning, and his second went 440 to center in the third. That’s a shade under 900 feet worth of homers for all the math people out there.
I hope you got to your seats early because all 11 combined runs came in the first three innings. Atlanta put up a three-spot on Matthew Liberatore in the first inning, but St. Louis responded with a pair in the home half. Alec Burleson doubled to right field that scored Brendan Donovan, and one batter later, Willson Contreras brought Burly home with a single to left.
Atlanta would counter St. Louis’s two runs with one of their own in the second inning thanks to an infield single by Ronald Acuña Jr., and then put up another two runs in the third. That third inning also ended up being Liberatore’s last and his final line reads: three innings, nine hits, six earned, a walk, and those two bombs given up to Murphy.
Friday night ended up being a bullpen game on both ends, because Atlanta’s starter Grant Holmes only lasted three innings as well. St. Louis ended up pushing across three runs in the bottom of the third to make it a 6-5 game, and Holmes’ night was done after three innings and 86 pitches.
Burleson hit his second double of the night to lead off the third, this one being a ground-rule double down the right field line. Lars Nootbaar drew a one-out walk to reach base, and Nolan Gorman followed a Nolan Arenado fly out with a walk of his own to load the bases. That’s when Pedro Pagés came through with a sharply hit line drive to center to score Burly and Noot. Victor Scott kept the momentum going with another sharply hit liner, this time to right field that brought Pagés home, but that’s where the scoring would end on both sides.
In total, there were just four total hits from either side over the game’s final six innings. Enyel De Los Santos ended up getting credited with the win for Atlanta. He did not allow a hit over his two innings of relief, though Masyn Winn did reach base by way of a fielding error by Atlanta’s Luke Williams. The error allowed Winn to reach second, and he advanced to third thanks to a Contreras groundout, but ended up being stranded there.
Winn might have led off the fourth by reaching base, but the next nine Cardinal batters would be retired. St. Louis wouldn’t get another runner on until Burleson led off the seventh with a walk. That walk appeared to be the momentum shift St. Louis needed because Contreras followed that up with a base hit up the middle, but with two on and nobody out St. Louis went line out, fly out, pop out to waste the scoring opportunity.
St. Louis’ last, best chance at tying the game came in the eighth inning when Scott drew a one-out walk, but was picked off by Atlanta reliever Pierce Johnson. Raisel Iglesias came on in the ninth inning for Atlanta, retired the side in order, and collected his 10th save of the season.
On paper at least, St. Louis had a really favorable draw as we head into the All-Star Break. The Cardinals got six games, all at home, against the two worst teams in the NL East, Washington and Atlanta, and through the first four games of this homestand they’re 2-2. Winning these next two games before hitting the break is going to be massive for the club. They’ll get their next shot at Atlanta at 1:15 tomorrow afternoon with Erick Fedde expected to get the start for St. Louis.