Cardinals vs. Braves Game Highlights (4/23/25) | MLB Highlights

The Braves win streak ended yesterday. It was at four games. But they still have a chance to win this series and finish off this homestand with a great record. It's been fun to watch what they've been able to do on the homestand coming into today. Both pitchers off to a rough start. Elder has a 4.97 ERA and Miles has an ERA over 7. When I look at Bryce Elder's starts, it feels like every time out you're going to get five to six innings, but you're going to give up three to five earned runs. The biggest key for me is to avoid the free passes. It's the thing that's going to be his downfall. And there is a four pitch walk to get the day started. A leadoff pass for Lars Neukpar. Contreras has hit safely his last five. Seven out of 20. You get a home run here on Monday night. In play. Riley has it. To second for one. Five. Four. Three. Two outs. Two for the price of one. He's only thrown one strike this game, and he's gotten two outs. That's the thing of beauty. Here's Nolan Gorman. Gorman gave the Cardinals the lead. Well, the bases loaded double in the eighth inning last night. And there's ball four. Gorman takes the second walk of the inning. That's in the dirt. Gorman got a good secondary jump. He'll move up 90 feet. Nolan Arnauto is trying to break an 0-for-6. He's three out of 17 on the road trip with a double. Four walks and only one RBI. That is stroked into center field. It is going to get down. It gets past the diving Harris all the way to the wall. Gorman scores. Into second with an RBI double. Nolan Arnauto and the Cardinals are on the board. They take advantage of one of the two walks. I like the way the Cardinals' offense is looking. They've scored now seven runs, Brad, in their last three offensive innings in this ballpark. Miles Michaelis goes to work, Brad, with a 1-0 lead. He's been improving in the last couple of games, but still not where he or the Cardinals want him to be yet. Oh, look, the numbers are inflated because of that start in Boston. He's giving you a chance to win some games. Michael Harris comes up swinging. Wynn will never get him. Infield single. We saw a handful of those for Austin Riley last night. And today it's Michael Harris with an infield single. Riley is able to dunk one through the right side. He's hitting the right field. Kind of a check swing and hit it to the right place as the right side of the infield is completely open. He's got a little magic wand working, doesn't he? He does. Now the big bear who drew a career-high four walks yesterday. Strike three called on the outside corner. Ozuna got caught guessing. That was a professional response by Ozuna. I said, OK, tip your cap. Matt Olsen has grounded into a double play in this series. He has hit into five. Swing and a shot hammered toward Walker, and he recovers to make the catch. Harris will tag, and he's going to belly flop to third. Olsen hit that right on the screws. Now first and third, two down. That brings Ozzie to the plate. He's won for eight in the series. High fly. Michael, this is going to get out of it. Walker drifts back a step or two and puts it away. The Braves ran first and third. And Miles missed outside, so the second time in the game, the Braves have put their leadoff man aboard. Eli White getting the spot start today out in left field for Atlanta. There's a ground ball to the shortstop to second out. Gorman dropped the ball trying to make the exchange. So Baldwin is out 6-4. Eli White runs well, and Gorman wanted to get rid of the ball quickly, but the ball slipped out of his hand like a bar of soap. High fly towards center. Scott retreats, and he's got a ton of room to make the play. Kilnick swings the first pitch and is out number two. Now Nick Allen at the bottom of the Braves' order. There goes White. Got a great jump, and that ball's going to be hit in the air to center field, and that'll lay down for a base hit. White over to third base on the hit and run. He was pretty much standing on second base when contact was made with that ball. That'll put him at the corners. Nice knock by Nick Allen with a runner on the move. That'll put him at first and third for Michael Harris. There's a pickoff play. The throw goes down to second, the tag for the out. And that is a bummer to end the bottom of the second inning. Just fizzles right out, right in front of us. Infield single for Michael Harris, back in the first. On the ground, nice diving stop, Burleson, and he feeds Miles Michaelis on the run. That was a great play, and Michaelis comes back from a hitter's count to get the leadoff man for Atlanta. This is a good play on both sides. Cardinals defensively have been very, very good here in the first three weeks. Two outs, nobody on for Pozo. That one is over third and into the corner. Pozo's going to have an extra base hit. He just keeps on swinging a hot bat. That's his third double. And another Cardinal in scoring position. A chance for an add-on run with hot hitting Victor Scott the second, uprunner at second. Victor Scott's going to send one up the first baseline weekly. Olsen's got it. Toss to Elder. He's there for out number three. Two out double, but no damage done at the top of the fourth. So far for Michaelis, definitely the best outing of his season. Came in with that ERA at 7-6-4. Ooh, broke it back. Barrel went flying past the pitcher's mound. And Harris has two hits today. And heads up, Miles Michaelis, as you see the top half of that barrel coming right back at you. And Austin Riley, the batter, he's one for two. Had an infield hit in the first. Swing and a high fly toward left. And Barco in on the track. Riley hit it too high. There's your second out. He just missed. Well, the wind helped out Miles Michaelis on that one, for sure. Wind is blowing in from left field and across. Just a long out. Way out side, ball four. Yet another walk for Marcelo Zuda. First and second, two out for Matt Olsen. On the ground, that's going to stay fair. Burley's got it. Race to the bag, and he wins it. And Michaelis gets out of a fifth inning jam. Atlanta strands two more runners. Miles Michaelis, have yourself a day. Got to try to go through four, five, six one more time. If he could get through six innings with just this one run, that is a major victory here for Bryce Elder. Grounded up the middle to his left. Nick's got it. He'll underhand to Ozzie, and that'll end the inning. Elder through six innings of one run ball. And they've seen Miles Michaelis turn in his best pitching performance of the season to this point. Not done yet. Pitch count's still very good. Cardinals needed some length out of their starters today, and they have gotten it right back to the mound. Miles Michaelis is through six innings, a shutout. In a day, they really needed him to step up. That's exactly what he's done. John King on there hasn't thrown a pitch in the last three days. Well, he did throw three days in a row over there in New York. Ends up getting a nod here. Love to see a quick one for him. Just a bunch of ground balls. Went out on the seventh for Nick Allen. He's singled back on the second inning, but was caught stealing. Allen gives it a ride down the left field line. That is going to drop. Bounce to the 335 marker, and Allen is in scoring position with a one-out double. So the potential tying run at second base. Now Harris, who is two for three today. Another broken back, but it drops, and Allen is coming around third to tie this game. One and a seventh. Michael Harris is going to have to put a bad order in. I believe that's three broken backs in his last two plate appearances, but both of them had ended with base hits. And so that absolutely works. What a read from Nick Allen. Does a great job once he gets off and realizes that ball is going to get down. Zero hesitation. Three-hit game for Alec Burleson following a two-hit game yesterday. Two on for Jordan Walker, and Contreras is the go-ahead run at second base now. Dezuel Hernandez has been said as the next man up out of the Braves' bullpen. And over his last six outings, he's only allowed two hits. He got him. A good decision to bring in Hernandez, and he gets the job done. I feel like it's almost destiny based on what has been going on with Dezuel Hernandez. 30 games in his career coming into this one. He's 6-0. He picked up a win in the first one. He finished off that inning. For sure the Braves are going to score and get him another W. All he does is win. Now you've got two in scoring position with one away. Now the bad man's of Eli White. The infield will come in with runners at second and third and one out. And Ryan Fernandez is the new pitcher. Big spot, right? And this is a guy a year ago familiar with those. The season has not started out the way that he wanted to, but an opportunity here to build a little momentum. 1-1, a fly ball high in the air to deep left field. This thing is clear for takeoff. Hits a three-run homer. Eli White puts the Braves on top of the eighth. 4-1 Atlanta. Eli's coming. The eighth inning has been the money inning for the Atlanta Braves, and it continues in game three of the series. I've got the Braves with 31 runs over the course of this homestand. Thirteen have been scored in the eighth inning. Love it. Into the top of the ninth inning, and Dezbo Hernandez out there looking for three more outs, facing 7-8-9. The Braves went out away from winning the series. Broken back bouncer to Ozzie. He's got it, and he flings it to first, and the Braves win. Another wild eighth inning. Boost the Braves to victory. It's a series victory over the Cardinals as they take two of three, and a very successful five-and-one homestand for the Braves.