Foltynewicz to start home opener for Atlanta against St. Louis

FILE – Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

By The Associated Press

St. Louis Cardinals (22-19, third in the NL Central) vs. Atlanta Braves (21-20, second in the NL East)

Atlanta; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Cardinals: Jack Flaherty (3-3, 4.32 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 47 strikeouts) Braves: Mike Foltynewicz (3-2, 5.94 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 10 strikeouts)

LINE: Cardinals favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 runs

BOTTOM LINE:

The Braves are 10-10 on their home turf. Atlanta’s team on-base percentage of .332 is eighth in the majors. Freddie Freeman leads the lineup with an OBP of .400.

The Cardinals are 8-10 on the road. St. Louis ranks second in the MLB in hitting with a .265 batting average, Jose Martinez leads the club with an average of .351. This is the first meeting of the season for these two teams.

TOP PERFORMERS: Ronald Acuna Jr. leads the Braves with eight home runs and is batting .286. Brian McCann is 6-for-18 with a double, two home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for Atlanta.

Marcell Ozuna leads the Cardinals with 34 RBIs and is batting .243. Yadier Molina is 12-for-33 with three doubles, a home run and six RBIs over the last 10 games for St. Louis.

LAST 10 GAMES: Braves: 6-4, .244 batting average, 3.58 ERA, outscored opponents by two runs

Cardinals: 2-8, .253 batting average, 5.02 ERA, outscored by 15 runs

Braves Injuries: Arodys Vizcaino: 60-day IL (shoulder), Chad Sobotka: 10-day IL (abdomen), Darren O’Day: 10-day IL (forearm), Jesse Biddle: 10-day IL (thigh/groin), Freddie Freeman: day-to-day (head cold).

Cardinals Injuries: Mike Mayers: 10-day IL (shoulder), Carlos Martinez: 10-day IL (shoulder), Brett Cecil: 60-day IL (wrist/forearm).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by HERO Sports, and data from Sportradar.

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