Paul Goldschmidt has Turned Back the Clock — But Not Far Enough The Cardinals’ biggest bat is not having a good 2021. That’s bad news, so let’s dig in.<doc-sep>Make sure to join in the conversation below as the Braves look to take the series against the red birds and set themselves up for a sweep. In case you might have missed it earlier we broke down the pitching matchup and the teams released their lineups. You can find links to both of those pages just below. Preview | Lineups There is no getting away from the heat it would seem as the forecast for first pitch is 92 degrees and humid as possible. There will be a nice 10 MPH breeze blowing from right to left so hopefully the Braves won’t have players overheating and cramping like last night. Win probability give the Cardinals a slight advantage at a 57.5% chance to win but it is baseball so anything can happen. Happy watching and as always Chop On!<doc-sep>Coming off of a disappointing home stand, the Atlanta Braves head back out on the road for a 10-game road trip including a three-game stop in St. Louis starting on Friday. Atlanta just lost back-to-back series at home to the Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds and have lost 5-of-7 overall. Reinforcements could be on the way as Ronald Acuna Jr. is expected to be activated in time for the series opener on Friday. Acuna has been out since May 27 when he suffered a scary looking knee injury while legging out an infield hit. Closer Arodys Vizcaino is also on track to return on Sunday after being sidelined for over week due to a sore shoulder. St. Louis comes in to the series with a 42-37 record and in third place in the Central Division. Friday, June 29, 8:15 p.m. ET (Fox Sports South) Julio Teheran (15 GS, 5-5 W-L, 21.4 K%, 11.4 BB%, 4.52 ERA, 5.28 FIP, 4.81 xFIP) Julio Teheran will get the start in Friday’s opener and will be looking to bounce back from one of his worst starts of the season. Teheran allowed six hits and seven runs including a first inning grand slam in just 4 2/3 innings in his last outing against the Orioles. He’s allowed 11 runs in 14 2/3 innings in June while also spending more than a week on the disabled list. Teheran has faced the Cardinals five times in his career posting a 3.86 ERA in 28 innings. Miles Mikolas (15 GS, 8-2 W-L, 18.5 K%, 3.1 BB%, 2.69 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 3.48 xFIP) The Cardinals will counter with right hander Miles Mikolas on Friday. Mikolas has been one of the best value signings of the offseason as he has been worth 2.1 fWAR over his first 15 starts. Mikolas allowed three hits and two runs over 6 2/3 innings last time out in a win over Milwaukee. He has allowed just 10 earned runs over five starts in June. Saturday, June 30, 7:15 p.m. ET (FOX) TBA The Braves have not announced who will start Saturday's game, but it looks like it will be Fried. So, they'll need to make another roster move within the next two days. — Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 28, 2018 Luke Weaver (16 GS, 4-6 W-L, 21.0 K%, 8.7 BB%, 4.59 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 4.20 xFIP) Righty Luke Weaver will get the start for the Cardinals on Saturday and he will be making his first career appearance against Atlanta. Weaver allowed five hits and two runs over 5 2/3 innings and struck out a season-high nine in his last start against the Brewers. That snapped a streak of three straight starts in which he had allowed four earned runs in each. Sunday, July 1, 2:15 p.m. ET (Fox Sports South) Mike Foltynewicz (15 GS, 5-4 W-L, 28.4 K%, 10.7 BB%, 2.14 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 3.54 xFIP) Mike Foltynewicz returned from the disabled list on June 25 and allowed one hit and one run over five innings in a no-decision against the Reds. He’s been lights out in June allowing just three runs over 24 innings. During that span he has struck out 29 and walked just eight. John Gant (9 G, 4 GS, 2-2 W-L, 22.4 K%, 9.8 BB%, 3.48 ERA, 2.92 FIP, 4.09 xFIP) Former Brave John Gant will get the start for St. Louis in Sunday’s series finale. Gant was pressed into duty after an injury to Michael Wacha. He came up big in his last start allowing one hit while pitching around five walks over seven shut out innings against the Indians. Gant has made four starts this season allowing 10 earned runs in 22 innings.<doc-sep>Here are five stats to know following the game: 1. Julio Teheran pitched five scoreless innings. File this one in the unexpected category: His five six-plus scoreless-inning outings are tied with Justin Verlander for the second-most in MLB. Sean Newcomb tops the majors with six.<doc-sep>
Julio Teheran threw six shutout innings and the Atlanta Braves’ offense came through late in a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night. Julio Teheran struggled in his last start but bounced back in a big way on Friday allowing just two hits while striking out four over six shutout innings against the Cardinals. Cardinals’ reliever Austin Gomber came into the game with the bases loaded and threw exactly one pitch which hit Ender Inciarte in the top of the helmet to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. Thankfully, no helmet was required to score these runs #ChopOn pic.twitter.com/N7I7l3Z0dC — Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 30, 2018 Johan Camargo provided some insurance in the eighth with this two-run double to the left field gap to make the score 3-0. Camargo had a big day at the plate going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Teamwork makes the dream work. Camargo Swanson ➡️ Freeman pic.twitter.com/hWvpQrRv4T — FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) June 30, 2018 Dansby Swanson also had three hits on the night and this nifty play in the field playing the carom off Camargo at third to record the out. Interviews "Baseball is all about its ups and downs. For me, it's all about maintaining the focus and just staying the path." Three-hit night for Johan Camargo helps push the @Braves past the Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/JAhH98s1rw — FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) June 30, 2018 Johan Camargo "After that first inning he settled in and was really, really good. "@Braves manager Brian Snitker discusses Julio Teheran's six shutout innings in a 5-1 win over St. Louis.#Braves | #ChopOn pic.twitter.com/rm0U30HH8V — FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) June 30, 2018 Brian Snitker