The Braves jumped on the Cardinals early, leading to a 6-1 victory in the series opener Tuesday in St. Louis.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday:
1. Jorge Soler was punishing pitchers in the games leading into the trade deadline, when he was dealt from the Royals to the Braves. The outfielder has impressed thus far with his new team, logging a three-hit game in his debut and blasting his first homer Tuesday.
Soler took lefty Jon Lester deep in the first inning for a two-run homer. It was Soler’s ninth homer in his past 12 games. He’s had an underwhelming season, but the power numbers have surged recently. The Braves would say it’s good timing.
“When (Soler) got into the clubhouse, Chipper (Jones) and I both said, ‘Woah. This is a large human,’” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “He can hit the ball far in (batting practice). He was putting balls in center field, no problem. So just a very, very strong man and he was able to do it in the first inning for us.”
2. Lester, making his Cardinals debut after getting traded by the Nationals at the deadline, had a brutal first impression in St. Louis. He didn’t retire a batter until eighth-hitter Kevan Smith hit into a double play.
The Braves had five hits and two walks in building a 5-0 lead in the first. Shortstop Dansby Swanson and outfielder Joc Pederson had RBI singles. The fifth run scored on Smith’s double play. The early offense was all the Braves needed.
Freeman added three hits, including a solo homer in the second inning. It was his 24th home run. It was his 13th multi-hit performance in the past month (26 games).
3. After logging seven innings in his previous start, Max Fried pitched six scoreless Tuesday. He allowed four hits, striking out seven and walking one. Fried has allowed two runs on nine hits over his past two starts (13 innings). He has a 16:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in that span.
4. Third baseman Austin Riley went 2-for-4, extending his on-base streak to 16 games. Riley was hitting .370 with seven homers and 18 RBIs during the streak entering the night. Riley has had multiple hits in seven of his past 11 games.
Pederson has reached base in 10 consecutive games, and he’s hit safely in each of his last nine starts. It’s impossible to replace Ronald Acuna, but Pederson has proved a valuable addition thus far. He’s hitting .313/.362/.469 with four doubles, two homers and 10 RBIs in 17 games with the Braves.
The Braves had newcomers Pederson, Soler and Adan Duvall in their revamped lineup Tuesday. A lineup that once lacked potency at the bottom of the order is now loaded with power across the board.
“You saw tonight, the offense started off really nice,” Fried said. “Jorge coming up big with a homer to put us ahead. Then they just handed it to the next guy. I think our lineup’s really deep right now. One through eight can beat you on a long ball, base hit, just put together really good at-bats. Tonight, they really set the tone, coming out, striking early and allowing me to go out there and work with less pressure, be on the attack.”
5. The Mets lost their second consecutive game to the Marlins, meaning the Braves have gained 1-1/2 games in the National League East over the past two days. The Braves are just 2-1/2 games behind the Mets, which is the closest they’ve been to first place since May 26. The Phillies are 1-1/2 games behind New York.
Stat to know
1 (The Braves have held the Cardinals to one or no runs in four of their five meetings this season.)
Quotable
“I applaud (GM) Alex (Anthopolous) going out there and getting us some guys. Our lineup has lengthened tremendously since the trade deadline.” – Freeman
Up next
The Braves and Cardinals continue their series Wednesday. Drew Smyly (7-3, 4.40) will oppose fellow lefty J.A. Happ (5-6, 6.77).
