Cardinals 8, Braves 2
Daniel Descalso and Rafael Furcal homered as visiting St. Louis sent Atlanta to its eighth straight loss in the opener of a three-game series.
Lance Lynn (8-1) went seven innings for the win, keeping pace with Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels for the major-league lead in victories. Rookie Matt Adams drove in three runs for the Cardinals, who lead the NL with 65 homers.
The Braves’ skid is their longest since they dropped nine straight in April 2010.
After stranding four runners in the first two innings, St. Louis broke through against Tommy Hanson (5-4) for four runs in the third. Yadier Molina rapped an RBI single to center and Descalso, starting for injured third baseman David Freese, rocketed a two-run homer to right.
Furcal unloaded for a fourth-inning solo shot, one of his three hits.
The Braves cut the deficit to 6-2 on Juan Francisco’s two-run single in the fourth, but Adams’ two-run double made it 8-2 in the sixth.
Atlanta fell to 7-19 without Chipper Jones in the starting lineup. He remains on the disabled list with a bruised calf.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was out of the starting lineup for a third straight day due to dry eyes and blurry vision. … Braves catcher Brian McCann returned to the starting lineup Monday after battling a flu-like virus for a week and went 0-for-4. ... Freese sat out with a bruised and sprained right hand.