Early outburst enables Braves to breeze past Cards
ST. LOUIS -- An early offensive explosion carried the Atlanta Braves to a series win.
Scoring three runs in the top of the first and another three in the second, Atlanta handed the playoff-hopeful St. Louis Cardinals a 6-3 loss on Sunday at Busch Stadium.
Aided by the early outburst, starter Mike Foltynewicz (5-5) worked six solid innings, scattering six hits and allowing a run with two walks and four strikeouts. Four relievers combined for the last nine outs, with closer Jim Johnson collecting his eighth save.
Adam Wainwright (9-6) allowed six runs on nine hits over six innings to take the loss, walking three and fanning three.
Wainwright was a pitch away from a clean first inning when he walked Freddie Freeman. That was followed by Matt Kemp's double, Nick Markakis' two-run single up the middle, an Adonis Garcia single and Jace Peterson's RBI single to center to give the Braves a 3-0 lead.
Atlanta piled on in the second. Erick Aybar pulled a two-run triple into the right-field corner, scoring Foltynewicz and Ender Inciarte. After a second walk to Freeman, Aybar came home on Kemp's fielder's choice bouncer to third.
St. Louis had plenty of chances to score off Foltynewicz, who retired the side in order only once. The Cardinals were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position against Foltynewicz, scoring only on a one-out sacrifice fly by Brandon Moss in the fifth.
St. Louis picked up two runs off Madison Younginer in the eighth on a two-out RBI double by Jhonny Peralta and a run-scoring single by Yadier Molina. The Cardinals pushed the tying run to the plate in the inning, but Eric O'Flaherty retired Greg Garcia on a bouncer to first.
The Braves (41-70) have won eight of their last 12 games. St. Louis (58-53) dropped a half-game behind Miami for the National League's second wild-card spot, pending the outcome of the Marlins' game in Colorado.
NOTES: St. Louis 2B Matt Carpenter, who came off the 15-day DL Friday after missing a month with a right oblique strain, wasn't in Sunday's lineup. Manager Mike Matheny took him out Saturday night after five innings, saying something didn't look right, but downplayed fears of a reoccurrence on his radio show Sunday morning. ... Atlanta selected the contract of RHP Madison Younginer from Triple-A Gwinnett and designated OF Brandon Snyder for assignment. ... Cardinals C Yadier Molina (right hand contusion), who left Saturday night's game after absorbing a foul tip, was back in the lineup Sunday.