Braves at Cardinals
The Atlanta Braves know how important their current 10-game road trip is as the surprising National League East leaders look to stay in first place, and they enter Saturday’s contest at the St. Louis Cardinals hoping to build off a solid start. Atlanta won the opening game of its three-city swing Friday, getting three hits each from Dansby Swanson and Johan Camargo in a 5-1 victory that extended the Braves' division lead to three games over Philadelphia.
Camargo is hitting .357 during his season-long six-game hitting streak and Ozzie Albies extended his hitting streak to nine games (.429 in that span) for the Braves, who began a stretch Friday of facing teams with winning records in 16 of their next 18 games. The Cardinals began the weekend leading the majors with 64 errors and added three more Friday in losing for the 10th time in their last 16 games. Right fielder Harrison Bader doubled Friday and has reached base 10 times (six hits, four walks) over his last 18 plate appearances, but St. Louis was limited to just four hits in the opener. Friday’s victory marked only the fourth time Atlanta defeated the Cardinals in the last 13 meetings.
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, Fox
PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves LH Max Fried (0-2, 4.09 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Luke Weaver (4-6, 4.59)
Atlanta will rely on one of its top prospects to fill in for Brandon McCarthy (right knee tendinitis) on Saturday as Fried takes his second big-league turn of the season. The 24-year-old started against the New York Mets on May 28, allowing only one earned run on four hits with four walks and six strikeouts. Fried, who made four relief appearances earlier this season, went 2-4 with a 4.65 ERA in nine starts before being summoned from Triple-A Gwinnett.
Weaver earned his first victory since mid-May on Sunday, striking out a season-high nine hitters in 5 2/3 innings to beat Milwaukee. The 24-year-old is winless at home in seven starts but owns a lower ERA in St. Louis (4.12) than in road contests (5.00). Weaver is holding right-handed batters to a .235 average but has surrendered four runs in three of his past four starts entering his first career appearance against the Braves.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Cardinals dropped to 1-21 this season when scoring two runs or fewer.
2. Atlanta C Tyler Flowers left Friday’s game after a sixth-inning at-bat with a cramp in his right hamstring.
3. St. Louis SS Paul DeJong (1-for-3) and RHP Matt Bowman (one perfect inning, two strikeouts) each started rehab assignments Friday with Triple-A Memphis.