Braves, Cardinals end season series |

There could be long-term implications for who wins the deciding game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves on Sunday. The teams split a doubleheader Saturday, with Atlanta winning the opener 3-2 in 10 innings and St. Louis winning the finale 9-5. If Atlanta wins Sunday, the Braves will tie the season series at 3-3. But if St. Louis wins, the Cardinals will win the season series 4-2 and hold a tiebreaker over the Braves if the two teams are tied at the end of the season. Atlanta holds a 3 1/2-game lead over St. Louis in the race for the first wild-card spot in the National League. A pair of right-handers will start the series and the season finale between the two clubs. St. Louis will send veteran Miles Mikolas (7-8, 5.13 ERA) to the mound to face Atlanta rookie Spencer Schwellenbach (3-4, 4.43). Mikolas suffered the loss in his most recent start, against the Chicago Cubs on July 14. He allowed six runs on eight hits with two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Mikolas gave up a career-high four home runs in the 8-3 loss. “Our rotation did exactly what we wanted them to do,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “Our bullpen was as good as any bullpen and as consistent as any bullpen. They were really, really good.” Mikolas will make his eighth career appearance, his seventh start, against Atlanta. He snapped a three-game losing streak against the Braves in his last start against them on Sept. 5, 2023, to improve to 2-4 with a 3.89 ERA all-time. Schwellenbach has been the Braves’ fifth starter since being promoted from Mississippi to Double-A in May. He will make his ninth start and first since July 12, when he beat the San Diego Padres 6-1. Schwellenbach allowed one run on three hits, one walk and three strikeouts in seven innings of work. He has allowed just two runs over his last 13 innings. “It shows how much he’s progressed and I think he’s figured things out and learned about himself,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. Schwellenbach last faced the Cardinals on June 24, a 4-3 loss. He allowed four runs on eight hits with six strikeouts in five innings. St. Louis’ offense continues to be led by designated hitter Alec Burleson, who went 4 for 9 with four RBIs in the doubleheader. Burleson leads the team with 57 RBIs and has driven in 39 since June 1, the most in the National League. He raised his batting average to .292. Atlanta designated hitter Marcell Ozuna picked up where he left off before the All-Star Game. He homered twice in Saturday’s game, giving him 28 (second in the National League) and seven homers in his last 12 games. Ozuna had two more RBIs for a National League-best 79. The Braves benefit from the return of left fielder Eddie Rosario, who was released by the Washington Nationals and signed by Atlanta on July 8. He homered in each game of the doubleheader and has hit safely in six of nine games since joining the Braves. He played with Atlanta from 2021-23 before joining the Nationals in the offseason. –Field Level Media