The St. Louis Cardinals offense was finally able to break through in Game 1 of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday with a 14-3 victory. The Cardinals are now just 3-7 over their previous 10 games but still hold onto a 23-19 record. St. Louis now sits at third place in the National League Central, and 3.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the division.
Atlanta has been pretty even over its last 10 games with a 5-5 record. The Braves now sit at 21-21 and tied with the New York Mets for second place in the National League East. The Braves trail the Philadelphia Phillies by 3.5 games for first place in the division.
Breaking Out
The name of the game for the Cardinals in Tuesday’s victory was offense. The Cardinals were able to mash four home runs to send Jack Flaherty home with a win on the rubber. Ozuna got things started in the first inning with a three-run home run. Dexter Fowler then struck a 408-foot shot in the fourth inning, which was followed up with a home run by Yadier Molina in the fifth inning. Kolten Wong finished things off with a long ball in the ninth inning.
The Cardinals matched their 14 runs with 14 hits in Game 1, while the Braves matched their three runs with three hits. Mike Foltynewicz picked up the loss for Atlanta, allowing eight earned runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking three. Foltynewicz’s ERA has now spiked up to a horrendous 8.02 ERA, as Atlanta’s pitching will look to bounce back Wednesday.
Cold Offense
The only hits for the Braves came from Brian McCann, Johan Camargo, and Charlie Culberson. Ronald Acuna Jr., Dansby Swanson, Freddie Freeman, Josh Donaldson, Nick Markakis, and Ozzie Albies all combined for 0-for-16 at the plate. Atlanta has the bats to get it done, but Flaherty certainly had his way with the Braves lineup.
St. Louis will have Michael Wacha on the mound Wednesday against Mike Soroka of the Braves. Soroka has looked really solid so far this season, posting a 3-1 record with 31 strikeouts and a 1.21 ERA. Soroka has yet to allow more than one earned run in his five starts, so we’ll see what kind of power is left for the Cardinals following their performance on Tuesday.
Wacha holds a 3-0 record for the Cardinals despite his 5.35 ERA. The Cardinals will have to put up some runs if Wacha continues to allow runs, and that could be tough given Soroka’s low ERA. Wacha holds a career 3.84 ERA. With 35 strikeouts on the season, he’d like to have a strong outing on the road against a dangerous Braves lineup.
St. Louis will have Adam Wainwright on the mound in Thursday’s series finale against Atlanta’s Julio Teheran.
