Quick Stats:

• Grant Holmes(ATL): 3.0 IP, 9 Hits, 5 Runs, 2 Walks, 1 Strikeout(No Decision)
• Mathew Liberatore(STL):  3.0 IP, 9 Hits, 6 Runs, 1 Walk (Loss)
• Enyel De Los Santos(ATL): 2.0 IP, 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 Walks (Win)
• Sean Murphy(ATL): 3-5, 2 Home Runs
• Alec Burleson(STL): 2-4, 2 Doubles
• Ronald Acuna Jr.(ATL): 3-5

ATL: 12 Hits, 6 Runs, 2 Walks, 9 Strikeouts

STL: 10 Hits, 5 Runs, 4 Walks, 3 Strikeouts

The Game Story:

1^st Inning: Ronald Acuna Jr. leads the game off by hitting a double to left. Matt Olson flies out to center. Wild pitch by Liberatore advances Acuna Jr. to third. Austin Riley singles to center, scoring Acuna Jr, and the Braves lead 1-0. Sean Murphy hits a home run to center to extend the lead to 3-0. Jurickson Profar lines out to center for the second out. Drake Baldwin singles to left. Ozzie Albies flies out to left to end the top half of the inning. Brendan Donovan singles to center. Masyn Winn grounds out to third. Alec Burleson doubles to right, and Donovan scores, and the score is 3-1. Willson Contreras singles to center, scoring Burleson, and the score is 3-2. Lars Nootbaar strikes out looking for the second out. Nolan Arenado comes up to the plate. Pitch in the dirt, and Contreras takes off for second and is thrown out to end the inning.

2^nd Inning: Nick Allen pops out to first. Michael Harris II doubles to right. Ronald Acuna Jr. singles down the left field line and scores Harris II, and the score is 4-2. Matt Olson pops out to third for the second out. Austin Riley flies out to left to end the top half of the inning. Nolan Arenado singles to right. Nolan Gorman singles to left. Pedro Pages sac bunts to move the runners to second and third, and one out. Victor Scott II gets an infield hit, and the bases are loaded. Brendan Donovan flies out to left for the second out. Masyn Winn pops out to first to end the inning.

3^rd Inning: Sean Murphy hits his second home run of the game to make the score 5-2. Jurickson Profar doubles down the right field line. Drake Baldwin doubles to center, and the run scores, and it’s now 6-2. Ozzie Albies draws a walk. Nick Allen grounds out to the pitcher, moving the runners to second and third with one out. Michael Harris II flies out to center, then Victor Scott II throws out Baldwin at home to end the top half of the inning. Alec Burleson hits a ground-rule double. Willson Contreras grounds out to third. Lars Nootbaar draws a walk. Nolan Arenado flies out to center for the second out. Nolan Gorman draws a walk to load the bases with two outs. Pedro Pages hits a single to center, scoring two runs to make the score 6-4. Victor Scott II singles to center and a run scores to make it 6-5. Brendan Donovan grounds out to second to end the inning.

4^th Inning: Cardinals bring in Riley O’Brien to relieve Liberatore. Ronald Acuna Jr. flies out to center. Matt Olson strikes out looking for the second out. Luke Williams pinch-hit for Austin Riley. Williams strikes out looking to end the top half of the inning. The Braves bring in Enyel De Los Santos to relieve Grant Holmes. Masyn Winn reaches second base on a throwing error by Luke Williams. Alec Burleson flies out to left. Willson Contreras grounds out to short for the second out, and the runner advances to third. Lars Nootbaar pops out to third to end the inning.   

5^th Inning: Sean Murphy singles on a pop-up to first. Jurickson Profar doubles to right and puts runners on second and third with no outs. Drake Baaldwin grounds out to second. Ozzie Albies strikes out swinging for the second out. Nick Allen draws a walk to load the bases. Michael Harris II strikes out swinging to end the top half of the inning. Nolan Arenado flies out to right. Nolan Gorman strikes out swinging for the second out. Pedro Pages flies out to center to end the inning.

6^th Inning: Cardinals bring in Matt Svanson to relieve O’Brien. Ronald Acuna Jr. flies out to left. Matt Olson strikes out looking for the second out. Luke Williams strikes out looking to end the top half of the inning. The Braves bring in Austin Cox to relieve De Los Santos. Victor Scott II flies out to center. Brendan Donovan grounds out to first for the second out. Masyn Winn flies out to center to end the inning.

7^th Inning: Cardinals substitute Thomas Saggese for Nolan Arenado. Sean Murphy flies out to center. Jurickson Profar pops out to short for the second out. Drake Baldwin pops out to third to end the top half of the inning. Alec Burleson draws a walk. The Braves bring in Rafael Montero to relieve Cox. Willson Contreras singles to left center to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Lars Nootbaar lines out to left. Thomas Saggese flies out to center for the second out. Nolan Gorman pops out to short to end the inning.

8^th Inning: Ozzie Albies flies out to center. Nick Allen strikes out swinging for the second out. Cardinals bring in JoJo Romero to relieve Svanson. Michael Harris II strikes out swinging to end the top half of the inning. The Braves bring in Pierce Johnson to relieve Montero. Cardinals pinch hit Jose Fermin for Pedro Pages. Fermin flies out to left. Victor Scott II draws a walk. Brendan Donovan comes up to bat. Victor Scott II is picked off at first. Donovan flies out to left to end the inning.

9^th Inning: Yohel Pozo comes in at catcher to replace Fermin. Ronald Acuna Jr. doubles to left. Matt Olson pops out to first. Luke Williams strikes out swinging for the second out. Cardinals bring in Phil Maton to relieve Romero. Sean Murphy pops out to first to end the top half of the inning. The Braves bring in Raisel Iglesias to relieve Johnson. Masyn Winn flies out to center. Alec Burleson flies out to center for the second out. Willson Contreras strikes out swinging to end the game.

Final Score: Atlanta Braves-6, St Louis Cardinals-5

Braves Player of the Game

Sean Murphy gets the nod as his two home runs tonight are the longest two home runs that have been hit at Busch Stadium this year.

My Thoughts: After the heartbreak of last night’s game, this was a good win for the Braves. The Cardinals kept getting runners on base, and the Braves kept them at bay when it was crunch time down the stretch. Winning this game after getting into St. Louis at four in the morning is a testament to this team not wanting to go out there and go through the motions. The next two games are interesting because we don’t know which pitcher will start them, given the bullpen day back-to-back, a rare feat in the majors. Other news that happened today is that Matt Olson will be replacing Ronald Acuna Jr. in the home run derby, but Acuna will start the All-Star game as expected.

Next Up:  A starter has not been named for the Braves for tomorrow’s game, which looks to be a bullpen day type of game. The Cardinals will send out Erick Fedde, who has struggled in his recent starts. First pitch is scheduled for 2:15 PM EST.