There could be long-term ramifications for whomever wins the rubber game between the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.
The teams split a doubleheader on Saturday, with Atlanta winning the opener 3-2 in 10 innings and St. Louis prevailing 9-5 in the nightcap.
If Atlanta wins on Sunday, the Braves will square the season series at 3-3. But if St. Louis wins, the Cardinals will win the season series 4-2 and hold a tiebreaker over the Braves if the two teams are tied at the end of the season.
Atlanta holds a 3 1/2-game lead over St. Louis in the race for the first National League wild-card spot.
A pair of right-handers will start the series, and season, finale between the clubs. St. Louis will send veteran Miles Mikolas (7-8, 5.13 ERA) to the mound to face Atlanta rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (3-4, 4.43).
Mikolas took the loss in his most recent start, against the Chicago Cubs on July 14. He allowed six runs on eight hits with two strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Mikolas allowed a career-high four home runs in the 8-3 defeat.
“Our rotation has done exactly what we would want them to do,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “Our bullpen has been as good as any other bullpen and as consistent as any bullpen. They’ve been really, really good.”
Mikolas will make his eighth career appearance, seventh start, against Atlanta. He snapped a three-game losing streak to the Braves in his latest start against them on Sept. 5, 2023, to move to 2-4 with an ERA of 3.89 all-time.
Schwellenbach has grabbed the role as the Braves’ No. 5 starter since he was promoted from Double-A Mississippi in May. He will make his ninth start and the first since July 12 when he beat the San Diego Padres 6-1. Schwellenbach allowed one run on three hits, one walk and three strikeouts in a season-long seven innings. He has permitted only two runs over his past 13 innings.
“It shows how far he’s come and I think he’s figured things out and learned about himself,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.
Schwellenbach faced the Cardinals on June 24, a 4-3 loss. He allowed four runs on eight hits with six strikeouts over five innings.
The St. Louis offense continues to be driven by designated hitter Alec Burleson, who went 4-for-9 with four RBIs in the doubleheader. Burleson has a team-leading 57 RBIs and has driven in 39 since June 1, the most in the NL. He has lifted his batting average to .292.
Atlanta DH Marcell Ozuna picked up where he left off before the All-Star Game. He hit two homers in Saturday’s nightcap, giving him 28 (second in the NL) and seven homers in his past 12 games. Ozuna had two more RBIs for an NL-best 79.
The Braves are benefiting from the return of left fielder Eddie Rosario, who was released by the Washington Nationals and signed by Atlanta on July 8.
He homered in each game in the doubleheader and has hit safely in six of nine games since he rejoined the Braves. He played with Atlanta from 2021-23 before joining the Nationals in the offseason.
–Field Level Media
