Lars Nootbaar launched a three-run home run and Matthew Liberatore tossed six stellar innings on Saturday to help lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves.
Liberatore (5-6) threw six scoreless innings, allowing four hits while striking out six and walking one for the Cardinals, who clinched the final series before the All-Star break.
Reynaldo Lopez (4-2) allowed four runs on five hits across five innings, striking out three and walking one for the Braves, who dropped their fifth game in seven tries. Mauricio Dubon homered for Atlanta, which saw its lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East reduced to two games.
After Lopez issued first-inning singles to Ivan Herrera and Jordan Walker, Nootbaar launched his third home run of the season — a 435-foot blast — to give the Cardinals an early 3-0 edge.
Nootbaar began the fourth with a walk and stole second before scoring on Blaze Jordan’s two-out single, pushing the margin to four.
Atlanta threatened in the sixth, as Michael Harris II led off the inning with a base hit and Matt Olson’s one-out single placed runners on the corners. Liberatore then got Drake Baldwin to ground into an inning-ending double play to end the inning.
Rookie Owen Murphy threw three perfect innings in relief of Lopez.
In the seventh, St. Louis’ Luis Gastelum took over, allowing Dubon’s 10th home run on his first pitch. After allowing Eli White’s one-out double, Gastelum retired Joey Bart and Jim Jarvis.
George Soriano tossed a perfect eighth for St. Louis.
Cardinals closer Riley O’Brien entered in the ninth, walking Baldwin and hitting Dominic Smith with two outs to bring the tying run to the plate. O’Brien then stuck out Bart to secure his 24th save in 28 attempts.
–Field Level Media
