Saturday’s Game Report: Braves 7, Cardinals 6
By Rob Rains
Carrying a 5-3 lead into the eighth inning on Saturday, the Cardinals had Phil Maton and Ryan Helsley lined up to try to close out a victory over the Braves at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals had done that 41 times so far this season in 42 games they led after the seventh inning.
They are now 41-2.
Maton gave up a three-run homer to Sean Murphy, the first home run he had allowed in exactly one year, to flip the game to a 6-5 lead for the Braves. It was Murphy’s third homer in the first two games of the series.
Three walks and a wild pitch let the Cardinals tie the game in the bottom of the eighth but Helsley allowed two singles before a well-placed groundout drove in what proved to be the winning run in the ninth.
Here is how Saturday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Nolan Gorman hit a two-run homer in a three-run second inning and Yohel Pozo, who had doubled and scored in front of the Gorman home run, then homered with two outs in the sixth to break the 3-3 tie. It was his fourth homer of the year … A bunt single by Gorman in the seventh, followed by a sacrifice bunt from Victor Scott II, led to an RBI single from Brendan Donovan that increased the Cardinals lead to 5-3 … They came back to tie the game when Thomas Sagges worked a two-out walk on a 10-pitch at-bat, fouling off five pitches, to load the bases before the wild pitch scored the run.
On the mound: Erick Fedde’s streak reached 11 consecutive starts without a win, but he pitched better than in some of his recent outings. He allowed home runs to Ronald Acuna Jr. in the first inning and to Marcell Ozuna in the second. All three of the Braves runs came in the first two innings as he pitched into the fifth … Gordon Graceffo, recalled from Memphis before the game, retired all five hitters he faced, three with strikeouts … Maton allowed a leadoff double in the eighth and a one-out walk in front of the home run from Murphy … A leadoff single off Helsley was followed by a sacrifice bunt and another single before the groundout scored the go-ahead run.
Key stat: The Cardinals had not allowed a home run in the eighth or ninth inning since June 14 and a total of 14 this season in 96 games. Murphy also hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth, off JoJo Romero, on April 21.
Worth noting: The Cardinals are limping into the All-Star break. Nolan Arenado missed another game on Saturday because of a sore finger and Lars Nootbaar had to come out of the game early for the second time in the last three games because of left side discomfort. It’s likely neither will be in the lineup on Sunday … Matt Svanson was optioned to Memphis after pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings on Friday … The Cardinals’ top prospect, JJ Wetherholt, led off for the NL in the Futures Game on Saturday serving as the DH and doubled in his first at-bat before striking out his next time up … The MLB Draft will begin on Sunday night. The Cardinals have the fifth overall selection and four of the top 89 picks.
Up next: The Cardinals will close out the first half of the season on Sunday with another 1:15 p.m. game against the Braves. Sonny Gray is the scheduled starter.
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