After an ugly 0-3 start to their season in Pittsburgh, the Cardinals changed venues and picked up their first win of the 2016 season. The Cardinals look to get on track Friday as they open a weekend set at the Atlanta Braves, who also are winless after dropping two games to the Washington Nationals to begin their 2016 campaign.
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Jaime Garcia gave up four runs on five hits and three walks in six innings. Starter Mike Leake lost his St Louis debut with four runs scored on seven hits and a trio of bases on balls over 4.1 frames. He showed a sample of this power last season in the minor leagues, hitting 20 home runs in 512 at-bats in 2015 in Double-A and Triple-A, respectively.
Greg Garcia added some insurance with a solo pinch-hit homer against John Gant in the ninth inning. He then struck out Carpenter looking, and then gave up another homer, this time of the “hey guys, I was in the lineup all along” variety to Stephen Piscotty.
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia (54) works in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Friday, April 8, 2016, in Atlanta. Still, all the damage was done at this point, and Trevor Rosenthal had a laughably easy time shutting down the Braves in the bottom of the inning for his first save of 2016, with strikeouts of Kelly Johnson and Drew Stubbs thrown in for good measure. Adonis Garcia hit into a double play to end the inning.
St Louis are 0-8 in their last 8 road games and are 1-7 in their last 8 Friday games while going 10-3 in Garcia’s last 13 starts.
The Cardinals’ outfielder made a strong throw home and Wisler, not sliding, was tagged on the foot by catcher Yadier Molina but was ruled to have stepped on the plate first.
ATLANTA (AP) – The Atlanta Braves again were beaten by pinch-hitters. 168 while also going 3 for 22 with runners in scoring position en route to the club’s worst start since it last finished below.
Braves: CF Ender Inciarte left the game with tightness in his left hamstring after reaching on Gyorko’s throwing error in the first inning. Inciarte’s status is day to day. Teheran is 1-1 with a 1.89 ERA in three career starts against the Cardinals, including six scoreless innings in a 2-0 win in the final regular season series a year ago.
Wisler has done well against the Cardinals in two career starts, going 2-0 in those games with an excellent 1.15 ERA while only giving up 11 hits in 15.2 innings.
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Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez will make his first start this season in Saturday night’s game against the Braves.
