Burleson, Goldschmidt hit home runs in Cardinals’ 6-2 win over Braves

ATLANTA (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt hit one of the Cardinals’ four homers after being sent down in order and St. Louis eliminated the Atlanta Braves 6-2 on Sunday to win the series.

Cardinals designated hitter Alec Burleson had a home run and two RBIs, giving him 21 totals in 16 games in July. He has an RBI in six straight games, one short of the Cardinals record.

Lars Nootbaar and Willson Contreras also hit solo home runs.

Miles Mikolas (8-8) allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked one for the Cardinals, who won the season series against the Braves for the first time since 2017.

“I positioned myself a little better,” Mikolas said. “We defended well. They sent me hard balls, but we were well positioned.”

Goldschmidt, a seven-time All-Star, hit 1 for 4 from seventh, a position he hadn’t hit since 2012, when he was with the Diamondbacks. He entered the game with a batting average of just .206 against right-handed pitchers this season and has a career-low OPS of 150.

“It’s always nice to see him smile,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “The more he plays freely, the better he gets. To see him hit a home run today was obviously fun. Hopefully he can keep that up. He’s a really good hitter.”

Braves rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (3-5) suffered the loss, his second against the Cardinals this season. He allowed four runs on seven hits, including three solo home runs. He had eight strikeouts.

Jarred Kelenic hit a home run for the Braves.

Burleson’s home run came in the third inning and gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead. He threw a 95 mph fastball and crushed a 435-foot home run off the roof of the Chop House restaurant in right field.

“I saw fastballs all series long and I was able to hit them brilliantly,” Burleson said. “I looked like I was completely red and I was able to hit them.”

His second RBI came in the fifth, when his single scored Michael Siani, who dove into the plate just before Travis d’Arnaud’s tag.

Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies fractured his wrist in the ninth inning when he tried to catch a throw to second base on a stolen base attempt and bent his gloved hand back when he collided with Siani.

The Braves announced after the game that X-rays showed a fractured wrist and that Albies is expected to be out for eight weeks. The three-time All-Star is hitting .255 with eight homers and 46 RBIs, batting almost exclusively from second in the batting order.

TRAINERS’ ROOM

Braves: The Braves placed All-Star left-handed pitcher Max Fried on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 18 with forearm neuritis. Fried felt discomfort while pulling away before pitching an inning in the All-Star Game. An MRI showed no structural damage, but he won’t pitch until he’s asymptomatic. The Braves promoted left-handed pitcher Dylan Dodd from Triple-A Gwinnett.

FOLLOWING

Cardinals: Right-handed pitcher Andre Pallante (4-4, 4.21 ERA) will face Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller (10-5, 3.46 ERA) in the opener of a three-game series at Pittsburgh on Monday.

Braves: Right-handed pitcher Reynaldo López (7-3, 1.88 ERA) faces Reds right-hander Hunter Greene (6-4, 3.34 ERA) in an all-star matchup as the two teams open a three-game series in Atlanta on Monday.

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AP Major League Baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb