ST. LOUIS — — Corey Dickerson tied the game with an infield single and Tyler O’Neill drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to give St. Louis Cardinals a 6-5 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.
“This is a really, really good team,” Cardinals designated hitter Brendan Donovan said. “Anytime you can beat a team like that it’s good. Not that we needed a morale booster, but it kind of makes you feel better about yourself.”
Nolan Arenado and Andrew Knizner homered for the Cardinals, who earned their sixth win of the season.
Donovan hit a double against Kenley Jansen (5-1) in the ninth and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Jansen walked Paul Goldschmidt and hit Nolan Arenado to load the bases.
“He’s usually very tough,” Arenado said of Jansen. “Even if he’s not throwing strikes, his ball is moving a lot and he’s still a big hitter. I think it’s safe to say that he and Morton didn’t feel as good as they wanted to today.”
Dickerson singled to Dansby Swanson, scoring Donovan and tying the game. Jansen then walked O’Neill on five pitches to hit his fifth save in 34 chances.
“Everything was flat,” Jansen said. “This is one you just have to let go. Its weird. Don’t even worry about it. Tomorrow is another day, and that’s the beauty of this game that I face the same strikers again and I can go to work and get back on track.”
O’Neill also hit a home run on Aug. 16 against Colorado to become the first player to earn an RBI walkoff hit twice in the same month since Cincinnati’s Tracy Jones earned a walk-off. June 28 and 30, 1988, according to STATS.
“That’s the way it goes,” O’Neill said. “It’s a crazy game.”
Ryan Helsley (8-1) pitched a scoreless ninth in his first appearance since Aug. 16 after missing eight games due to the birth of his first child.
Travis d’Arnaud homered for the Braves and Austin Riley added three hits.
Charlie Morton allowed four runs on five hits and three walks and struck out four batters but did not get the decision.
“He wasn’t as sharp as he had been,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “This too will happen. He left the game with a lead and had a chance to win the game.”
Jordan Montgomery allowed five runs on eight hits in five innings after allowing just one run in 25 2/3 innings in his first four starts with St. Louis.
D’Arnaud hit his 14th home run of the season after Matt Olson and Riley led off the fourth with singles. Montgomery had retired nine in a row after Dansby Swanson’s leadoff single.
Michael Harris II drove in William Contreras with a single up the middle later in the fourth to push Atlanta’s lead to 4-0.
Knizner hit a two-run homer to left-center off the Braves for his second home run of the season, cutting Atlanta’s lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth.
Olson and Riley hit two-run doubles in the fifth inning to give Atlanta a 5-2 lead.
Arenado answered in the bottom of the inning with a two-run home run to left field, his 27th of the season, cutting the Cardinals’ deficit to 5-4.
I-55 SHUTTLE:
The Cardinals activated Arenado off the paternity list and recalled LHP Zack Thompson from Triple-A Memphis. The club optioned 1B/OF Juan Yepez and LHP Génesis Cabrera to Memphis. Cabrera allowed five runs on six hits in a Friday night game and is 1-1 with a 10.38 ERA in 14 outings since July 9.
TRAINER’S ROOM:
Atlanta: Placed RHP Jackson Stephens on the seven-day concussion list and recalled RHP Jay Jackson from Triple-A Gwinnett. Stephens left Friday night’s game after being hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Brendan Donovan.
“He was checked out last night,” Snitker said. “Everything was fine. He just needs to lie down for a bit.”
St. Louis: LHP Steven Matz (sprained left MCL) threw 37 pitches in the Busch Stadium pregame as he works his way back as a reliever in September.
NEXT:
Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (9-9, 3.11 ERA) will face the team that drafted him 30th overall in 2000. He has the highest career winning percentage (.714) of any active player with at least 15 starts against Atlanta. Braves RHP Jake Odorizzi (5-5, 3.95 ERA), from Highland, Illinois, just 30 miles east of St. Louis.
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