The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
■ Braves avoid sweep at home,
No one told the Braves they were at home Wednesday. The offense produced, the bullpen protected a lead and jollification was abound.
“It’s nice to know what winning feels like again,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said.
Touki Toussaint, in his fourth start, was tasked with the stopper role. He kept the Cardinals at bay into the sixth inning. His offense wasn’t too shabby, either. The Braves won 7-3, halting the Cardinals’ sweep attempt. They snapped a four-game skid and lowered their magic number to six with their fifth win in their past 19 games at SunTrust Park.
“Must win, I don’t know that that’d be the right (phrase). It was much needed,” Freeman said. “Just felt different the last few days. I thought today was a huge momentum boost for us.”
Freeman has faded in the MVP discussion, but he took it upon himself to stop the bleeding. He knocked in three runs, two via homer, and was a contributor in the Braves’ successful double steal. Ender Inciarte swiped home, and Freeman initially was called out at second before a replay review overturned the play and awarded the Braves a fifth run.
Toussaint outpitched his line after a rocky start: 5⅔ innings, allowing two runs on five hits with eight strike- outs and three walks. Harrison Bader took him deep in the fifth, but Toussaint was otherwise settled in.
“I’m having a blast,” he said. “Probably one of the best teams in baseball, most exciting team in baseball. Anytime we can put up five runs. So I’m having a blast.”
He allowed a leadoff single to Jose Martinez before retiring the next two. He walked Jedd Gyorko and Yadier Molina singled, chasing him from the game. Jonny Venters coaxed a grounder from Matt Adams to limit the inning’s damage to one.
The 22-year-old likely won’t be in the postseason rotation, but Toussaint has pitched himself into a role. The concern would be how he reacts to coming out of the bullpen, which he’s done once in the majors, walking four and allowing three runs against the Nationals earlier in the homestand.
But it’s performances such as Wednesday’s that remind how tantalizing Toussaint is. His off-speed is stifling, helping him rack up high strikeout numbers and making hitters look measly. Manager Brian Snitker stopped short of saying Toussaint would be on the postseason roster, and Toussaint himself wouldn’t acknowledge these games as an audition, but reading the tea leaves, the answer is obvious.
“He’s pitched very well, that’s for sure,” Snitker said. “How he carries himself. I don’t ever see the game speeding up on him like a lot of young guys. Very confident and like I said, things he does well: He holds a running game, the athleticism, the confidence he has. Just never seems to get amped up and let it get away from him, which is impressive from a kid that young.”