Ozzie Albies hit a home run and Atlanta pitchers retired the final 20 batters as the Braves took a 5-1 win over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.
The win ended Atlanta’s three-game losing streak and evened the three-game series at one game apiece.
Albies went 2-for-4, scored two runs and had two RBIs. The slumping Atlanta offense showed more life by going 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
The Braves got a much-needed lift from starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (4-1), who was able to throw five innings and allowed one run on two hits, both coming in the first inning, and one walk. He struck out six in his second start since returning to the rotation.
The Atlanta bullpen closed the game with four perfect innings. Dylan Dodd, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Lee and Raisel Iglesias each pitched one inning.
St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy (3-7) delivered a quality start, pitching six innings and allowing two runs on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts.
The Cardinals scored in the first inning when Ivan Herrera hit a ground-rule double with one out and scored on Jordan Walker’s two-out RBI single to right field.
Atlanta got the run back in the bottom of the inning. Drake Baldwin led off with a hit and scored on Albies’ double to right. Albies was thrown out at third trying to pick up an extra base.
The Braves took a 2-1 lead in the third when Albies hit a solo homer, his 13th, into the stands in right-center.
Atlanta left fielder Mauricio Dubon took a possible homer away from Jose Fermin in the eighth, hauling in a long fly at the base of the fence.
The Braves put the game away by scoring three runs in the ninth. Michael Harris II had an RBI single, Dubon delivered a run-scoring squeeze bunt and Austin Riley ended an 0-for-17 skid with an RBI single. There could have been more damage, but Harris was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Walker after Dominic Smith singled.
