The victory marked the Cardinals’ second consecutive win after they recently halted a four-game losing streak, providing the club with renewed momentum as it begins a challenging road trip. Meanwhile, Atlanta’s struggles continued, as the Braves dropped their third straight game and suffered their 13th loss in their last 17 outings.
Liberatore (4-5) turned in one of his strongest starts in weeks, allowing just one run on a single hit across five innings. Although he issued four walks, the left-hander consistently escaped trouble by overpowering Braves hitters with nine strikeouts. The outing represented a dramatic turnaround after a difficult stretch in which he surrendered 17 earned runs over just 11 1/3 innings in his previous three starts. Tuesday’s victory was also his first since May 31.
The Cardinals’ bullpen protected the lead effectively the rest of the way. Riley O’Brien closed the game with a scoreless ninth inning, working around a leadoff double by Matt Olson before retiring the next three batters to secure his 21st save of the season.
Nathan Church provided the game’s biggest offensive highlight. Facing Atlanta for the first time in his career, the Cardinals center fielder crushed a three-run homer into the right-field seats during a decisive fourth inning. The blast, his sixth home run of the season, ended a long power drought dating back to April 26 and transformed a one-run deficit into a comfortable St. Louis advantage.
Atlanta starter Martin Perez (6-5) kept the Cardinals quiet early but struggled during the decisive fourth inning. He finished after five innings, allowing four runs on five hits, including a pair of home runs, while walking three and striking out one.
The Braves struck first in the bottom of the third inning. Jorge Mateo reached on a single, promptly stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and crossed the plate on Ozzie Albies’ sacrifice fly to give Atlanta a 1-0 lead.
St. Louis responded immediately in the fourth with an explosive four-run inning. Nelson Velazquez opened the frame by launching a towering 444-foot solo home run to straightaway center field, tying the contest. Masyn Winn and Lars Nootbaar followed with consecutive singles, setting the stage for Church, who hammered a 391-foot changeup over the right-field wall to put the Cardinals ahead 4-1.
The Cardinals added valuable insurance in the sixth inning against reliever James Karinchak. Winn worked a walk, stole second base, advanced to third on another wild pitch, and scored on Blaze Jordan’s sacrifice fly, extending the lead to 5-1.
Atlanta mounted a late comeback attempt but came up short. Albies delivered an RBI single in the seventh inning to cut the deficit, and the Braves added another run in the eighth when Mauricio Dubon scored on a wild pitch. Atlanta threatened to make the game even closer by loading the bases later in the inning, but Drake Baldwin grounded out to end the rally and preserve the Cardinals’ two-run cushion.
With Liberatore returning to form, Church rediscovering his power stroke, and the bullpen holding firm under pressure, the Cardinals secured an encouraging road victory while handing the slumping Braves another disappointing defeat. St. Louis will now look to build on its newfound momentum as the three-game series continues in Atlanta.
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