David Freese slaps fists with first base coach Chris Maloney after hitting a RBI single in the seventh inning. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
As much as Lance Lynn and Jake Westbrook have struggled in the second half of the season, I don’t want to think about where the Cardinals would be if it wasn’t for spot starter Joe Kelly. Kelly (5-3) allowed two runs and seven hits while improving to 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA in his last seven starts as the Cardinals beat the Atlanta Braves 6-2.
The Cardinals improved to 7-1 in Kelly’s eight starts since he rejoined the rotation on July 6. “We needed a solid outing from him and he was very good,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. “He did a nice job for us.”
Matt Holliday went 2 for 3 and drove in a run, snapping out of a 2-for-24 slide over his previous six games. He doubled and scored in the fourth, then capped the Cardinals’ three-run fifth with an RBI double that made it 4-2. David Freese had a run-scoring groundout in the fourth for St. Louis, and then singled in a run in the seventh.
