Brooks Conrad drove in the winning run in the ninth inning with a pinch-hit single off Ryan Franklin to give the Atlanta Braves a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. David Freese was hit on the hand and X-rays revealed it is broken.
The Braves run in the ninth was unearned after Alex Gonzalez hit a pop fly that bounced off shortstop Ryan Theriot’s glove for an error. Gonzalez moved to second on Joe Mather’s sacrifice and then later scored the winning run.
The Cardinals scored four in the first and built a 4-0 lead off Braves starter Derek Lowe who was just arrested for a DUI on Thursday night. The Braves had a 5-4 lead, but the Cards tied the game in the eighth, looking for their third straight comeback win in Atlanta.
Freese was hit by Scott Linebrink in the sixth and Albert Pujols was pushed into emergency service at third base. It was the first time Pujols has played third since September of 2002.