Braves' homers help Hernandez to first win since 2015
ST. LOUIS -- A rare power surge by the Atlanta Braves enabled emergency starter Roberto Hernandez to win his first big league game in more than a year.
Clouting four homers, including two-run shots by Ender Inciarte and Matt Kemp in the ninth inning to break open a close game, Atlanta posted a 13-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night at sold-out Busch Stadium.
Inciarte's second homer and Kemp's 24th of the season -- his first since being traded from San Diego on July 30 -- wrapped up the Braves' 40th win against 70 losses and gave them 70 homers for the year, the fewest in the majors. Chase d'Arnaud's second pinch-hit of the inning, a two-run double to left, concluded the six-run ninth.
Hernandez, a former American League All-Star and 19-game winner while pitching as Fausto Carmona with the Cleveland Indians from 2006 to 2012, last won on July 3, 2015, as a member of the Houston Astros. Hernandez lasted five-plus innings, giving up six hits and three runs with a walk and four strikeouts.
Carlos Martinez (10-7) was touched for seven hits and seven runs (six earned) in five innings. He issued two walks and whiffed five.
St. Louis (58-52) pulled within 7-5 with two runs in the eighth, getting a pinch-RBI double from Matt Adams and a run-scoring groundout from Tommy Pham.
The Cardinals fell a half-game behind Miami for the National League's second wild-card spot, pending the outcome of the Marlins' game in Colorado.
Atlanta started the scoring in the first when Nick Markakis' fielder's choice grounder with the bases loaded plated Inciarte with an unearned run. An error by second baseman Matt Carpenter on a potential forceout earlier in the inning gave the Braves an extra out.
Atlanta didn't need help in the third, as Freddie Freeman followed singles by Inciarte and Erick Aybar with a 448-foot homer to center, his 19th home run of the year, for a 4-0 lead.
St. Louis got on the board in the fourth with two runs. Jhonny Peralta grounded a single up the middle to score Brandon Moss, advanced to third on Yadier Molina's double and rode home on a sacrifice fly by Jedd Gyorko.
The Braves made it 7-2 in their half of the fifth as Adonis Garcia lined a three-run homer to right-center field, his ninth home run of the year.
Kolten Wong cracked a leadoff homer for the Cardinals in the fifth, the team's 12th pinch-homer of the season.
NOTES: By calling up RHP Roberto Hernandez from Triple-A Gwinnett, Atlanta used its 14th different starting pitcher of the year, one off the franchise record set in 1975. Only Cincinnati has used as many this season. ... St. Louis LHP Jaime Garcia became the third MLB pitcher this year to knock in the only run in a 1-0 win. The first two were Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) and Madison Bumgarner (Giants). ... The Braves dealt LHP Hunter Cervenka to Miami in exchange for minor league LHP Michael Mader and minor league SS Anfernee Seymour.