Cardinals edge Braves, Dodgers blank Nationals
Marcell Ozuna and Kolten Wong each hit two-run doubles in the ninth inning as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals overcame shaky defense and a wild finish to extend Atlanta’s postseason misery, holding off the Braves 7- 6 in Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Thursday night.
The Cardinals, back in the playoffs for the first time since 2015, fell behind 3-1 hurt by their normally reliable defense.
But Paul Goldschmidt homered in the eighth, sparking a two-run outburst that tied it at 3. In the ninth, the Cardinals blew it open against Braves closer Mark Melancon.
Dexter Fowler and Tommy Edman singled before Goldschmidt walked on four pitches to load the bases with one out. Melancon got ahead of Ozuna with two quick strikes, only to give up a liner just inside the thirdbase line that put St. Louis ahead for the first time.
Wong finished off Melancon with another two-run double.
The Braves didn’t go quietly in their half of the ninth.
Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a two-run homer off Carlos Martinez, and Freddie Freeman added a solo shot. But Martinez got the final two outs to claim a shaky win and put the Cardinals ahead in the best- of-five series. Jack Flaherty starts for the Cardinals against Mike Foltynewicz in today’s Game 2.
It was a familiar scenario for the Braves, who have lost nine straight postseason series and are just one away from tying the Chicago Cubs’ record for postseason futility of 10 straight playoff losses. Atlanta has not won a postseason series since 2001, and hasn’t even led a series since going up 2-1 on the Giants in the 2002 NLDS. The Giants won the next two games to advance. DODGERS 6, NATIONALS 0
» Walker Buehler pitched six solid innings and Max Muncy drove in three runs as Los Angeles blanked Washington in Game 1 of their division series at Dodger Stadium.
Buehler gave up just one hit, walked three and struck out eight.
Nationals starter Patrick Corbin also went six innings, allowing two runs (one earned), three hits and striking out nine, but he walked five, including Muncy with the bases loaded in the first for a 1-0 lead.
Muncy’s two-run single in the seventh made it 4- 0.
Joc Pederson and Gavin Lux homered in the eighth.
Mets can Calloway
Mickey Callaway went 11-1 in his first 12 games as manager of the New York Mets. After that, nothing ever seemed to go smoothly for him again.
Following more than a year of near-constant speculation about his job security, Callaway was fired by the Mets after missing the playoffs in both his seasons at the helm.
The move came four days after New York wrapped up an 86-76 campaign that marked a ninewin improvement over his 2018 debut. But a strong second half wasn’t enough to save the embattled Callaway, who had one year remaining on his contract.
New York went 46-26 following the All- Star break and made an unlikely charge into the National League wild- card race, only to be eliminated during the final week.