Braves' Foltynewicz hopes to bounce back vs. Cardinals

The Atlanta Braves found their footing while winning the final three games of their four-game series against the Diamondbacks in Arizona over the weekend. Now the Braves are hopeful that No. 1 starter Mike Foltynewicz can do the same when the team returns home from a long road trip to host the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game series.

The Braves went 6-4 on the three-city road trip and will play the Cardinals for the first time this season. St. Louis lost the final three games of its four-game series with Pittsburgh over the weekend and begins a six-game road trip.

Foltynewicz (0-2, 5.94 ERA) will be opposed by right-hander Jack Flaherty (3-3, 4.32) in Tuesday's series opener.

Foltynewicz will be making his fourth start of the season. He began the season on the injured list because of a bone spur in the right arm and has yet to show the sort of form that enabled him to make the 2018 All-Star team and emerge as Atlanta's top starter.

He has allowed at least four runs and a total of 15 in 16 2/3 innings pitched. In his last start, Foltynewicz gave up five runs on five hits -- two of them homers -- against the Dodgers. He struck out only two and has yet to fan more than five batters in a game. Foltynewicz has had trouble with the Cardinals. In five career starts against St. Louis he has an 8.06 ERA.

The Braves are expected to get first baseman Freddie Freeman back in the lineup. He missed Sunday's game with a head cold and sat out for the first time all season.

"When he came in, he was ready to go," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "He just got progressively worse as the morning went on and then he came in and he looked terrible and he couldn't breathe."

Flaherty dropped his last outing, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies when the Cardinals were blanked for his second straight start. He pitched five innings and gave up four runs (three earned) on four hits, three walks and a career-low two strikeouts. He suffered from an elevated pitch count, with 43 of his 91 pitches coming in the fifth inning when the Phillies scored four runs. Defensive mistakes led to the big inning, too.

"We've been absolutely right there and it's been one little thing opening the floodgates numerous times," Flaherty said. "Our defense has been really good, but it feels that if something goes wrong, we're not able to pitch out of it. That's something we have to clean up and be able to deal with whatever the situation is."

Flaherty, the Cardinals' first-round draft choice in 2014, will be making his second career start against Atlanta. His only appearance against the Braves came on Sept. 19, 2018, when he gave up five runs -- his second-highest run total allowed in 2018 -- on five hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six in that game, which Atlanta won 7-3.

The hottest hitter in the St. Louis lineup is Jose Martinez, who went 3-for-3 with a homer on Sunday and is hitting .375 since April 11. The veteran right fielder is hitting .339 with three homers.

--Field Level Media