The Atlanta Braves went into the second half of their homestand with momentum on their side. They swept the Minnesota Twins while taking advantage of the fact that Minnesota had been scuffling to start the season. They faced another opponent that was having a rough start to the season, the St. Louis Cardinals, but there was still a job that needed to be done. The Cardinals weren’t going to roll over and the Braves also got some rough news on Monday when Spencer Strider was moved back to the Injured List after he injured his hamstring playing catch. Atlanta still can’t seem to escape the injury bug.
Nonetheless, Atlanta had no choice but to put their heads down and persevere to ensure this was a successful homestand. While it wasn’t another sweep, it was still another series win for the Braves, who seem to be heating up at Truist Park at least. That leaves us with some good stuff to talk about throughout these three games for Atlanta.
Cardinals vs. Braves Recap
Game 1: Braves 7, Cardinals 6
Spencer Schwellenbach was back on the mound for the Braves in this one and while he wasn’t dominant, he did a good enough job to keep Atlanta in the game in the early and middle portions of the contest, and the Braves offense was able to eventually make something happen late. Schwellenbach finished with three runs allowed (two earned) over seven innings with five strikeouts and no walks. This is the type of start that fits the profile of what you’d expect from him based on his performance so far this season.
When Schwellenbach left the game, the Cardinals were in front 3-2 after Erick Fedde had pitched six solid innings of his own. Phil Maton would get the ball in the bottom of the eighth and that’s when the Braves bats would come alive. Matt Olson hit an RBI single to tie it, and Michael Harris hit a sacrifice fly that was deep enough to bring home the go-ahead run. Sean Murphy would blow it open after that with a huge three-run homer that made it 7-3 Braves.
Raisel Iglesias got the ball in the ninth inning and while it wasn’t a save situation, Iglesias sure made all of Braves Country nervous. Victor Scott brought St. Louis within three with an RBI double and then Willson Contreras would put the Cardinals within striking distance with a two-run homer. Nolan Arenado came up to bat as the potential go-ahead run, but he made contact on a swing that would barely clear home plate, and it was enough to stay in fair territory so that Murphy could pick it up, tag Arenado, and make it four wins in a row for the Braves.
Game 2: Cardinals 10, Braves 4
This was originally going to be Strider’s second start and his first game back at Truist Park, but his mishap while playing catch meant that this was a bullpen game. This was an extremely tough task for Atlanta but for a while, it seemed like the bullpen was up to the challenge. Scott Blewett performed admirably by getting into the fourth inning and then Blewett handed it off to Aaron Bummer and the Blewett-Bummer combo ended up being bad news for the Cardinals.
Atlanta would get out to a 4-2 lead in this one but then the game turned once Rafael Montero entered the game. Montero got into trouble with some walks and overall lack of command, which would result in the Cardinals tying it up. Enyel De Los Santos didn’t do much better, as he also found trouble due to handing out free passes and this time St. Louis made him pay dearly. Nolan Gorman hit a bases-loaded double to clear the bases and put the Cardinals up 7-4.
Nathan Wiles also made his Major League debut and it wasn’t one to remember, as the Cardinals would add three more runs to the scoreboard while he was out there to bring it to the 10-4 final score. The bullpen is not one of Atlanta’s strengths so far in the season so the Braves winning streak getting snapped at four was far from surprising.
Game 3: Braves 4, Cardinals 1
The Braves had a bad taste in their mouth following Tuesday night’s defeat, but fortunately for them, there was a quick turnaround on Wednesday as this game started shortly after noon. Bryce Elder got the start in this one and he desperately needed a good start just for his own sake and Atlanta badly needed it as well after their bullpen game on Tuesday.
Fortunately, Elder delivered and gave the Braves exactly what they needed. Elder would finish with six innings under his belt with just one run allowed. He did deal with traffic throughout the day, giving up five hits and three walks, but he slid in and out of trouble all day. His ability to get out of tough situations is what Elder was best known for during his 2023 All-Star season. He has had a rough go of it so far in 2025 so this was extremely encouraging to see from him.
Atlanta’s offense was having trouble with Miles Mikolas while this was going on, as Mikolas threw six shutout innings which meant that Elder’s good start nearly went in vain. Fortunately, the Braves bats once again woke up in the late stage of this contest. Michael Harris broke his bat on a shallow blooper that found the outfield grass and plated Nick Allen to tie the game at one run apiece in the seventh and then the offense pulled off another eighth-inning comeback at home. The big hero was Eli White, who hit a rare home run. Not only that but it was a three-run homer to put Atlanta up 4-1.
Brian Snitker noted that Iglesias would not be available for Wednesday’s contest, which meant that Daysbel Hernández got the opportunity to finish this one off over the course of four outs. A single is all the Cardinals could muster off of him as the Braves took the game and the series in dramatic fashion.
Final Thoughts
Don’t look now but the Braves are starting to make some progress when it comes to digging out of that 0-7 hole that they fell into to start the season. They’re now 10-14 and have been showing real signs of life at the plate for an extended period now. It may take them waiting until the later stages of a game to strike but they’ll eventually make something happen. Late comebacks have been a part of this team’s DNA ever since they returned to relevance back in 2018 and it appears this team will continue that trend.
The big question is whether or not they can keep this up on the road. While the Braves have a strong 8-3 record at home, they’re sitting on an abysmal 2-11 record on the road. Things aren’t going to get any easier on this next road trip, as they’ll once again be heading out west to deal with a strong Arizona Diamondbacks squad, and then a trip to Coors Field that is always tricky on pitchers.
Still, if the Braves are going to get out of this mess and start working towards getting back in the NL East race, they’re going to have to figure out a way to start finding ways to win on the road. For now, let’s enjoy the successful homestand Atlanta had, knowing that the Braves will be feeling pretty good about themselves while heading to Arizona.
Main Image: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
