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Complete Sweep: Braves Dominate Cardinals in Three-Game Series
The Atlanta Braves delivered a convincing three-game sweep against the St. Louis Cardinals. Although the scores looked close, the Braves dominated every aspect of the game.
The Braves’ bats crushed St. Louis’ starting pitching, and the Braves’ starting pitchers and bullpen kept the dangerous Cardinals lineup quiet. The Braves also played an impressive team defense in one of the games, making it a complete sweep.
With this series sweep, the Braves have an early 5-1 lead in the division.
Wednesday’s Game: Braves Follow Familiar Script, Hammer Cardinals
In Wednesday’s game, the Braves continued their scoring streak by hammering the Cardinals’ starting pitcher, Miles Mikolas. They scored five runs, including jumping to a three-run lead before their pitcher, Bryce Elder, even took the hill.
Ronald Acuña Jr. led off the game with a single, scoring from first on Matt Olson’s double, and later scoring from first again on another Olson double. Austin Riley and Olson himself also contributed to the Braves’ win with a single and homerun, respectively.
The Braves had a comfortable lead of four runs after two innings and extended it to five runs after four innings. In contrast, the Cardinals failed to score any runs.
Elder, who started in place of the injured Max Fried, pitched a shutout game with six innings. Although there were some situations that could have undone him, he allowed only two hits and walked three batters but still managed to strike out six.
Impressive Performance from Atlanta’s Pitching Staff
The Braves swept this series without three of their best pitchers: Fried, Spencer Strider, and Kyle Wright. They relied on Charlie Morton, Dylan Dodd, and Elder to shut down the Cardinals, and the bullpen never gave up the leads it inherited.
After Elder’s successful exit, Michael Tonkin, Dylan Lee, Collin McHugh, and Jesse Chavez preserved the lead and secured the Braves’ impressive sweep.
Great Defense adds to the Braves’ Victory
The Braves played great defense throughout the series, and Michael Harris II made a leaping catch at the wall to rob the Cardinals of at least one run in the eighth inning. In the ninth, Olson caught a liner and dove back to first for the double play, giving the Braves two outs.
Although McHugh allowed one run in the ninth, Chavez got Tommy Edman to pop up in foul territory for the final out, securing the win for the Braves.
Braves Head Home after an Impressive Start to the Season
After a month and a half of spring training in North Port, Florida, the Braves started their season with a week on the road, delivering an impressive three-game sweep against the Cardinals. They will now head back home to welcome the San Diego Padres to Truist Park from Thursday through Sunday, with Strider starting the home opener.
The Braves have had a phenomenal start to the season and have played like the stacked team they are. With the confidence and momentum from this sweep, it will be exciting to see how the rest of the season unfolds for the Braves.
