Cardinals bop their way to series win in Atlanta with Alec Burleson’s blast, 3 other homers

The Cardinals turned four solo homers into a 6-2 victory Sunday against Atlanta at Truist Park. Home runs abound throughout the three-game visit at the Braves’ cozy, posh new ballpark, and the four the Cardinals hit Sunday helped them get ahead and stay ahead. The Cardinals and Braves currently have the top two wild-cards into the National League playoffs, and by winning this weekend series in Atlanta the Cardinals secured the season series and that tiebreaker, if necessary. They won four of six games against Atlanta.

Batting seventh for the first time as a Cardinal, Paul Goldschmidt ignited the power display with his home run in the second inning. Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar followed with solo shots in each of the next two innings, and Willson Contreras punctuated the day with his solo home run in the eighth inning.

Miles Mikolas spent most of his start with the lead and authored a quality start while scattering seven hits allowed. The closest Atlanta came to threatening the Cardinals’ lead was in the third inning when a solo homer – Atlanta’s fifth in the past two games – carried into the right-field seats. Atlanta didn’t get another runner on base before the Cardinals had widened their lead.

In his first appearance since the All-Star Game, Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Helsley declined to pitch in the All-Star Game so that he could use the break for rest and give some tightness in his hip a chance to relent.

The Cardinals took it out of a save situation when they stole a run in the ninth inning with runners at the corners. As they often do, the Cardinals started the runner at first – Michael Siani – to take second base and see if the opposition attempts a throw.

That choice proved more costly than a run.

Catcher Travis d’Arnaud’s throw took second baseman Ozzie Albies into the runner, and his glove collided with Siani’s shoulder. The ball skated into center field to allow the runner at third base – Nolan Gorman – to score easily. Albies dropped his glove and dropped into a crouch, cradling his left hand. He left the game immediately with an apparent injury to that hand. Atlanta did not have an update before the end of the game.

The estimate of how far Burleson’s home run traveled seemed a tad conservative.

In the third inning, Burleson turned on a pitch and left his bat at 109.5 mph. The ball soared down the right-field line, and what initially was a question on whether it would stay foul became a question on whether it would clear the foul pole. Burleson’s 18th homer of the season traveled so far that he cleared the restaurant that overlooks right field and landed on its roof – three stories above the wall.

Statcast estimated the distance at 435 feet.

It was Burleson’s second homer in as many days at Truist Park, and the solo shot continued his accumulation of RBIs. The Cardinals’ designated hitter added an RBI single in the fifth inning to give him 41 since June 1. That is tied for the most in the majors. Since becoming a regular in the lineup and a fixture at No. 2, Burleson has vaulted into the team lead for the most significant power categories, including homers (18), RBIs (59), and slugging (.503).

Even with him batting lower than in the lineup than he ever has as a Cardinal, the game gave Goldschmidt a chance to change it.

With two outs in the seventh inning, Goldschmidt, batting seventh, fell behind 0-2. The hitter in the majors with the most two-strike at-bats this season, Goldschmidt worked his back in the count – and then got the lift he’s been seeking all those games in the middle of the order. Goldschmidt tagged a full-count pitch from Spencer Schwellenbach for the first of the Cardinals’ homers and the first lead of the game.

The home run was Goldschmidt’s 14th of the season.

In his first start of the second half, Mikolas retired the Braves in order on six pitches in the first inning. They would get longer from there, but he remained efficient getting outs.

During Mikolas’ six innings, he coaxed three double plays. Goldschmidt completed one on his own in the second inning to erase Mikolas’ only walk permitted of the game. In the fourth inning, Nolan Arenado was shifted toward shortstop when he got the groundball and turned a double play with Masyn Winn handling the pivot at second. When Atlanta started the third inning with an infield single, Mikolas promptly got another groundball that Winn started into a double play.