Jeremy Hazelbaker and Stephen Piscotty recorded consecutive RBI singles to cap the two-out, eighth-inning rally the Cardinals produced before piling on in the ninth inning to complete a three-game sweep of the winless Braves with a 12-7 victory on Sunday afternoon at Turner Field.
Right-handed reliever Jim Johnson retired the first two batters he faced in the eighth, and then he allowed each of the next four hitters to reach safely. After Matt Carpenter was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second, Hazelbaker and Piscotty snuck their consecutive singles through the infield to extend the woes of the Braves, who have blown a lead in the seventh inning or later in four of their first five games.
En route to falling to 0-5 for the first time since 1988, the Braves did not take advantage of Nick Markakis’ three doubles or the game-tying, three-run homer Drew Stubbs hit off Adam Wainwright, who issued five walks and surrendered five runs over five innings. Stubbs’ shot to deep center erased the lead St. Louis gained with a four-run third inning that was highlighted by Brandon Moss’ three-run homer off Williams Perez.
Moss, starting in left field in place of Matt Holliday, blasted his first home run of the season to put the Cardinals ahead, 4-1, in the third. The three-run blast, which was deposited just beyond the outstretched glove of Stubbs in center, was Moss’ first career home run against Atlanta. With it, he has now homered against every Major League club.
Before looking at a questionable called third strike with runners at the corners and one out in the eighth inning, Markakis recorded three doubles for the second time in his career and each of the two-baggers proved pivotal. Markakis delivered a first-inning RBI double and began the fourth inning with a double that positioned him to score on Hector Olivera’s sacrifice fly. His third double — a sixth-inning opposite-field drive off Kevin Siegrist — gave the Braves a one-run lead until the eighth inning.
Staked to an eighth-inning lead, the Cardinals turned to Jonathan Broxton and Trevor Rosenthal to hold it. Broxton got into trouble, allowing a one-out walk to Gordon Beckham, who scooted to third on Erick Aybar’s single. But after Markakis worked the count full against him, Broxton froze Markakis with a generous strike-three call. Rosenthal then stranded that potential tying run on third by striking out pinch-hitter Jeff Francoeur.
Making his first appearance in nearly two years, Chris Withrow surrendered Greg Garcia’s game-tying single and retired just two of the six batters he faced before exiting the sixth inning with the bases loaded. Daniel Winkler escaped the inherited mess unscathed and was one out away from completing a scoreless seventh before he fractured his right elbow while throwing a pitch. This prompted an earlier-than-expected entry from Johnson, who retired three of the four batters he faced before the Cardinals began their two-out, eighth-inning rally and then added five more ninth-inning runs off Jose Ramirez.
Bud Norris will take the mound and center fielder Mallex Smith is expected to be in the lineup when Atlanta opens a four-game series at Nationals Park on Monday at 67:05 p.m. CT. Norris did not allow a run until the Nationals took advantage of some defensive miscues during a three-run seventh inning on Wednesday.
