The St. Louis Cardinals <\/a>opened their series with a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves<\/a> on Tuesday night at Truist Park. Matthew Liberatore<\/a><\/strong> allowed one hit over five innings to earn the win as the Cardinals used a four-run fourth inning to pull away. Nathan Church<\/a><\/strong> hit a three-run homer and Nelson Vel\u00e1zquez<\/a><\/strong> added a solo shot. Riley O’Brien<\/a><\/strong> tossed a scoreless ninth for his 21st save as Mart\u00edn P\u00e9rez<\/a><\/strong> took the loss for the Braves.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Braves grabbed an early lead in the third. Jorge Mateo<\/a><\/strong> reached, stole second, and came home on an Ozzie Albies<\/a><\/strong> sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. Liberatore survived traffic throughout his five innings, but that was the run that briefly put the Cardinals behind.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n P\u00e9rez could not hold the lead in the fourth. Vel\u00e1zquez led off with a game-tying solo homer to center, a 444-foot blast that made it 1-1. Later in the inning, with two outs, Church crushed a three-run homer to right, scoring Masyn Winn<\/a><\/strong> and Lars Nootbaar<\/a><\/strong> to put the Cardinals ahead, 4-1. P\u00e9rez finished with four earned runs on five hits across five innings, allowing the two home runs on 85 pitches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Cardinals tacked on an insurance run in the sixth. Winn drew a walk, stole second, and scored on a Blaze Jordan<\/a><\/strong> sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-1.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Liberatore was overpowering when he needed to be. The left-hander allowed only one hit over five innings, striking out nine while walking four on 98 pitches. The Braves put runners aboard in four of his five innings but could not deliver the big hit. It was a strong bounce-back for Liberatore, who had struggled in his previous start against the Diamondbacks.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Braves refused to fold. They scratched out single runs in the seventh and eighth against the Cardinals. Albies delivered a two-out RBI single off JoJo Romero<\/a><\/strong> to score Mateo in the seventh, and Mauricio Dub\u00f3n<\/a><\/strong> crossed the plate on Ryan Fernandez<\/a><\/strong>‘s wild pitch in the eighth to trim the deficit to 5-3.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n O’Brien slammed the door with a scoreless ninth. He pitched around a one-out Matt Olson<\/a><\/strong> double for the save, closing out a night in which the Braves stranded 11 runners.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n One hit, nine strikeouts, five innings. Liberatore pitched around four walks and never let the Braves cash in, handing the relievers a three-run lead. It was the kind of start that steadies a rotation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Church went 1-for-4 but made his hit count, driving in three with a homer that turned a tie game into a three-run lead. His blast was the decisive swing of the night.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Vel\u00e1zquez went 2-for-2 with a home run and a walk, reaching base three times. He tied the game with his solo shot and remains a steady presence in the middle of the order.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Cardinals relievers JoJo Romero<\/a><\/strong> and Ryan Fernandez<\/a><\/strong> gave back two runs in the seventh and eighth, turning a comfortable lead into a save situation before O’Brien restored order in the ninth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Cardinals scored five runs on six hits and went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. But after the sixth inning, the offense went silent.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Matthew Liberatore<\/a><\/strong> (4-5, 5.33 ERA) earned the win for the Cardinals as Mart\u00edn P\u00e9rez<\/a><\/strong> (6-5, 3.27) took the loss for the Braves. Riley O’Brien<\/a><\/strong> earned the save.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Cardinals and Braves continue their series Wednesday, July 1 at 6:15 pm Central at Truist Park. Michael McGreevy<\/a><\/strong> (3-6, 3.12) is expected to take the mound for the Cardinals against the Reynaldo L\u00f3pez<\/a><\/strong> (3-1, 3.47) of the Braves.<\/p>\r\n\r\nBraves Draw First Blood<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The Fourth Belongs to the Cardinals<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Liberatore Dominates<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Braves Chip Away Late<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What Went Right for the Cardinals<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Liberatore’s Gem<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Church’s Big Swing<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Vel\u00e1zquez Stays Hot<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What Went Wrong for the Cardinals<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Late Runs Allowed<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Quiet Bats Late<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Quick Hits<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Looking Ahead<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Main Photo:<\/h4>\r\n