Albies, Contreras take Martínez deep, Braves beat Cards 9-1

ATLANTA (AP) — Max Fried picked up where Charlie Morton left off a night earlier for the Atlanta Braves.

“It’s exactly what you want to do," Fried said. “Charlie definitely set the tone last night with attacking guys and keeping a good pace, and it felt like I got a little bit off it in the first. I wanted to get back on the attack and throw strikes, and that was kind of the game plan."

Ozzie Albies and William Contreras homered off Carlos Martínez in a four-run second inning, Fried allowed two hits in seven innings, and Atlanta beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-1 on Friday night.

Contreras’ seventh homer, a solo shot to left, made it 2-1, and Ronald Acuña Jr. kept the inning alive by walking, stealing second base and scoring on Freddie Freeman’s single. Albies, who went 3 for 5 with three RBIs, followed with his 10th homer, a two-run shot to right that put Atlanta up 5-1.

The three-time defending NL East champion Braves, who are 5½ games back in the division, have won two straight after losing six of seven. St. Louis, which began the night four games back in the NL Central, has dropped five straight and eight of nine on the road.

The Cardinals were outhit 11-3 and have mustered one run the last two nights at Truist Park.

“We’ve got to be able to separate all these games and know that we’ve got to play tomorrow and we’ve got a chance to win and come together as a group," St. Louis shortstop Paul DeJong said. “I think overall we’re going to keep encouraging each other and know that we’re going to get hot at the right time. We’ve done it over the course of my career here every year. Late-season runs. We’re just going to try to stay in there as much as we can now and try to build some momentum."

One night after Morton didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning of a 4-0...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Albies-Contreras-take-Mart-nez-deep-Braves-16258924.php