The Braves went to Busch Stadium for a weekend series and beat up on Cardinals pitching, bashed home runs and won two of three games.
Maybe none of that would be surprising for some visitors considering the home team’s inconsistent play this season. But these were the Braves.
The Braves rank last in the majors, or close to it, in nearly every offensive category. The Braves sent a rookie reliever-turned-starter to the mound for one game against the Cardinals and a veteran journeyman freshly promoted from the minors for another.
And yet the Braves clinched the series with a 6-3 victory on Sunday. They won the final two games of the series by a combined score of 19-8 after losing the opener 1-0 and, in spite of that shutout, scored the most runs of any of their three-game series this season.
The Braves scored six runs in the ninth inning of Saturday’s 13-5 victory and then jumped on Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright (9-6) for a 6-0 lead after three innings.
“I think, for them, it was probably a little bit defeating to have us score 13 last night and then come out and score six right away like that off one of their guys,” Braves catcher Anthony Recker said. “That definitely sent a message right away that we were here to win.”
The Braves (41-70) won a series at Busch Stadium for the first time since sweeping the Cardinals here May 11-13, 2012. They’ve won eight of their last 12 games and have a 10-12 record since the All-Star break.
The Braves scored three runs with two outs in the first inning. Freddie Freeman walked, Matt Kemp followed with a double and then Nick Markakis singled to score two runs.
The Braves scored another run on consecutive singles by Adonis Garcia and Jace Peterson before Wainwright finally got out of the inning after throwing 39 pitches. The Braves added three runs in the second inning on Erick Aybar’s two-run triple and Matt Kemp’s fielder’s choice RBI.
“There was a spot in that first inning I’m thinking, ‘God, (Wainwright) is going to have a 12-pitch inning,’” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. “The next thing you know he walks Freeman and guys starting grinding out at-bats and he’s got 30-something pitches. It’s what we’ve been doing, though. These guys are something else.”
Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz surrendered one earned run over six innings while wiggling out of several tight situations. The Cardinals (58-53) scored two runs in the eighth inning against reliever Eric Younginer, who was making his big-league debut, before stranding two base runners against lefty Eric O’Flaherty.
Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte singled in the second inning to extend his hitting streak to 18 games, matching his career-high set during the 2014 season with the Diamondbacks. Braves shortstop Erick Aybar extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
