Braves Hold Top Spot
Ozzie Albies' homer and strong pitching lead Braves to 5-1 victory, retaining NL East lead.
The Atlanta Braves snapped a brutal stretch of losing with a dominant 5-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night at Truist Park. It was just their fifth win in 18 games — but they did it in convincing fashion, holding St. Louis to only two hits and retiring the final 20 batters in a row, according to Deadspin.
Ozzie Albies led the way, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, and two RBIs. Starter Reynaldo López allowed just one run in five innings. The Braves improved to 50-34 and kept a 3.5-game lead over Philadelphia in the NL East, per FOX Sports.
Albies Sparks Offense, Braves Seize Control Early
St. Louis struck first in the top of the first. Ivan Herrera hit a ground-rule double and scored on a Jordan Walker RBI single to make it 1-0, according to Deadspin. Atlanta answered right back. Drake Baldwin reached base and scored on an Albies double to tie the game at 1-1, per MLB.com.
In the third inning, Albies put Atlanta ahead for good. He launched his 13th home run of the season to right-center field, giving the Braves a 2-1 lead, AP reported. The Braves then blew the game open in the eighth. Michael Harris II and Austin Riley hit RBI singles. Albies scored on a sacrifice bunt by Mauricio Dubón. A throwing error by Cardinals third baseman Blaze Jordan made things even worse for St. Louis, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
López Returns to Rotation, Bullpen Shuts the Door
Reynaldo López earned the win, improving to 4-1. He threw 68 pitches and allowed just one run on two hits across five innings, per AP. This was only his second start since returning to the rotation after two months in the bullpen. López had been moved out of the starting role earlier in 2026 before injuries forced the team to bring him back, according to RotoWire.
After López exited, the bullpen was perfect. Dylan Dodd, Didier Fuentes, Dylan Lee, and closer Raisel Iglesias combined for four scoreless innings. Iglesias recorded his 17th save with a clean ninth. Deadspin noted the Braves' bullpen entered the game with the best ERA in the majors at 2.76. Manager Walt Weiss praised the group's effort and called López's outing a "much-needed lift," per AP.
Dubón's Catch Saves the Lead, Riley Snaps His Slump
The game's most dramatic moment came in the top of the eighth. With Atlanta clinging to a 2-1 lead, left fielder Mauricio Dubón raced to the fence and robbed Cardinals pinch-hitter José Fermín of a potential home run. The catch preserved the lead before Atlanta's three-run rally in the bottom half, per TSN.
Austin Riley, who had been hitless in his last 17 at-bats, broke through with an RBI single in the eighth. Riley is in the third year of a $212 million contract extension and had previously taken "100 percent" responsibility for his recent struggles, Forbes reported. He hit just .215 in June. His single was one of the bigger moments of the rally.
Braves Hold First Place Despite a Disastrous June
Atlanta's win record — five wins in 18 games — tells a rough story. The Braves went 9-13 in June. But they entered that stretch with such a commanding lead that they remain on top of the NL East. The AJC noted there is "no panic" inside the clubhouse, even as analysts called June "bad" across every part of the game — pitching, hitting, and defense.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, wasted another strong outing from starter Michael McGreevy, who allowed just two runs in six innings. McGreevy has now gone nine straight starts without a win despite a 3.12 ERA, AP noted. St. Louis went hitless over the final eight innings. Manager Oliver Marmol faced questions about his team's stalled offense after the loss, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Sentiment
NeutralPublishers
7
Articles
7
Reach
7
