Teheran struggles in loss to Cardinals

ATLANTA — Mike Leake won his fourth straight decision, Matt Carpenter and Matt Adams homered as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3 on Saturday night.

Aledmys Diaz went 3 for 4 and drove in two runs to help the Cardinals improve to 12-5 since beginning the season 3-9.

Leake (4-1) allowed three hits, three runs, two walks and struck out two in seven innings. He held the Braves to just one hit before Matt Kemp doubled in the seventh and scored on Adonis Garcia’s three-run homer. Leake gave up a single to Nick Markakis in the second and retired the next 12 batters before pinch-hitter Lane Adams reached on third baseman Greg Garcia’s throwing error in the sixth. The Cardinals led 1-0 in the first on Diaz’s RBI single, 3-0 in the third on Carpenter’s sixth homer, 4-0 in the fourth on Adams’ first homer, and 5-0 in the seventh on Diaz’s sacrifice fly.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran works in the first inning of Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Cardinals 5, Braves 3

Braves ace Julio Teheran (2-3) gave up nine hits, four runs, two walks and struck out three in five innings. His ERA rose 36 points to 4.69 in seven starts, more bad news for a pitching staff that’s given up 45 runs in its last five games. Atlanta has lost five of six. Trevor Rosenthal, the second St. Louis pitcher, got Freddie Freeman to fly out and end the eighth with a runner on. Cardinals closer Seung Hwan Oh earned his seventh save in eighth opportunities, retiring Kemp, Markakis and Adonis Garcia in the ninth. John Bazemore / The Associated Press