Braves 5, Cardinals 2
Mike Minor tossed seven stellar innings and Andrelton Simmons belted a solo homer as visiting Atlanta salvaged the finale of a four-game series with St. Louis.
Jordan Schafer and Elliot Johnson each collected two hits while scoring and driving in a run. Paul Janish added an RBI single for the Braves, who posted just their second win in six outings to extend their cushion over second-place Washington in the National League East to 13 games.
Matt Carpenter registered his third multi-hit performance in four contests and scored on Matt Holliday's RBI groundout in the sixth inning. Allen Craig added a two-out RBI single in the eighth for the Cardinals, who saw their four-game winning streak come to an end but remained tied with Pittsburgh for first place in the NL Central.
Minor (13-5) improved to 7-2 on the road and defeated St. Louis for the second time in a month after allowing one run on six hits. Craig Kimbrel retired all four batters he faced on 11 pitches to secure his 31st consecutive save opportunity and major league-leading 41st overall.
Schafer led off the first inning with a triple against Lance Lynn (13-8) and came around to score on Johnson's single to center. Janish doubled the advantage with an RBI single in the second before Schafer's ground-rule double down the left-field line plated Joey Terdoslavich.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Simmons gave Atlanta a 4-1 lead in the seventh inning by drilling a 3-1 fastball from Lynn over the wall in left field for his 12th homer. Lynn saw his winless stretch extend to four games after permitting four runs on nine hits in seven innings. ... Minor allowed one run on four hits in seven innings en route to a 4-1 triumph over the Cardinals on July 26. ... Atlanta opens a nine-game homestand with a three-game set against Cleveland on Tuesday. St. Louis hosts Cincinnati in the opener of a three-game series on Monday.