Ozzie Albies delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to give the Atlanta Braves a 3-2 win over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.
Adam Duvall, who started the inning at second base, easily beat center fielder Dylan Carlson’s throw to the plate to score the winning run. Duvall had moved to third on Zack Short’s sacrifice bunt.
The winning pitcher was Pierce Johnson (3-1). Rookie Chris Roycroft (1-2) took the loss.
St. Louis had runners on the corners in the 10th inning when Alec Burleson lined out to Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson, who stepped on the bag for an inning-ending double play.
The win evened the season series between the two clubs at 2-2. Atlanta is 7-3 in extra-inning games, while St. Louis dropped to 5-7.
Neither starting pitcher received a decision.
St. Louis starter Kyle Gibson pitched 6 2/3 innings and allowed one run on three hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Gibson threw 100 pitches — his second-most of the season — and had his best outing since throwing seven scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs on June 14.
Atlanta starter Charlie Morton pitched six innings and allowed one run on six hits, one walk and four strikeouts. Morton bounced back after having allowed eight runs (seven earned) in 11 2/3 innings in his previous two appearances before the All-Star Game.
St. Louis scored its first run in the sixth when Masyn Winn tripled — a play originally ruled a single and two-base error on right fielder Adam Duvall — and an RBI single from Burleson.
Nolan Arenado upped the St. Louis lead to 2-0 with a solo homer, his ninth, against reliever Dylan Lee.
Atlanta’s Eddie Rosario tied the game with a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh against reliever Ryan Fernandez. The homer, his eighth, hit the top of the brick wall in right field and caromed into the stands. It came in his Rosario’s first game at Truist Park since rejoining the team on July 8.
The start of the game was delayed 13 minutes because of morning rain.
–Field Level Media
