Minor Plays Role Of Stopper, Braves Take Finale 5-2
By Mark Kolar
Aug 25, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Minor (36) throws to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Minor stepped in and helped put a halt to a the recent skid the Atlanta Braves found themselves in, while the offense got contributions from some unlikely sources in Sunday’s 5-2 victory over St. Louis. The win snapped a three game losing streak, and it came as a Godsend.
The Braves desperately needed Minor, who was coming off extra rest, to put in a solid performance and give his team a chance to win. He did just that, tossing seven innings of six hit ball, allowing just one earned run.
Minor got some early some support from the offense, and it all began with a Jordan Schafer lead off triple in the first inning. Elliot Johnson, batting in the second spot today, brought Schafer home with a single. In the second inning, Gerald Laird and Joey Terdoslavich hit back to back singles to start the inning. Then with one out, Paul Janish would loop a base hit to right field, scoring Laird. With two outs, Schafer would hit a ground rule double down the left field line, pushing the lead to 3-0.
That was more than enough for Minor, who was rarely in any sort of trouble throughout the day. The only run he allowed came via an RBI ground out by Matt Holliday.
Andrelton Simmons added a home run in the seventh, a line drive shot to left field, and Gerald Laird would add a sacrifice fly in the ninth, capping off the scoring for the Braves.
After the Cardinals pushed across a second run in the eighth inning against Luis Avilan, Craig Kimbrel was brought into the game and needed only eleven pitches to record a four out save.
The Braves are off on Monday before returning home to face the Cleveland Indians in an interleague match-up that begins a long homestand.