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Willson Contreras, Cardinals Chase Another Win Over Braves
After sustaining a broken left forearm on May 7, catcher Willson Contreras was expected to be out untilmid-July. Defying expectations, he returned to the St. Louis Cardinals just in time for the start of their three- game series against the Atlanta Braves. The Cardinals, riding a four- game winning streak, secured a 4- 3 victory in the nature on Monday, with Contreras making an immediate impact.
Contreras’s Impactful Return
Contreras, who was batting.280 with a.950 OPS before his injury, contributed an RBI single in his first game back after missing 40 games. His return has brought a renewed energy to the team.
” The energy that he brings when he rounds first, it’s just his overall competitiveness, guys feed off of that, i mean, you can hear it in the dugout as soon as he gets that megahit. Things have been going well, and you add somebody like Willson to the mix, man, it’s a heck of a lot of fun, it really is.”
Oliver Marmol
Determined to beat his projected recovery timeline, Contreras resumed baseball activities on June 7.
” It bothered me when a lot of people said that I was going to miss a couple of months or two, three months,” Contreras said.” I was like,’ Hell no. I am not going to miss two, three months.’ But yes, I like to be challenged.”
Kyle Gibson’s Anticipated Return
The Cardinals are also planning for another significant return on Tuesday. Right- hander Kyle Gibson( 5- 2,3.44 ERA) is set to return the rotation after missing his previous scheduled turn due to back stiffness.
” I do not know that I have ever had it be like this in my entire career,” Gibson said after being scratched pregame on Wednesday.” I did our advance meeting. I felt really good. At 1130(a.m.), I was still doing my stretching, and I did something during stretching to just aggravate the left hip. By the time it was 10 minutes later, I was in the coach’s room, and I could not bend down to touch my toes.”
In his last outing, Gibson shut out the Chicago Cubs over seven innings, allowing just two hits in a 3- 0 victory. He has a 2- 1 record with a4.91 ERA in five career starts against Atlanta.
Reynaldo Lopez on the Mound for the Braves
The Braves will fight with right- hander Reynaldo Lopez( 5- 2,1.57 ERA), who has been emotional in his last two starts, throwing a combined 11 scoreless innings in victories over the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Barracuda. Lopez struck out 14 batters in those outings, while allowing nine hits and two walks.
After spending the bulk of the former three seasons in a relief role, Lopez has been a revelation as a starter, allowing two earned runs or lower in all but one of his 13 starts this season. His only previous appearance against the Cardinals was a scoreless one- inning relief outing on July 8, 2023.
Braves ’ Power Surge
The Braves have been on a power surge, hitting 20 homers in their last 10 games after managing just 15 in the previous 20 contests. Despite losing on Monday, they’ve won eight of their last 11 games. Austin Riley continued his hot streak, hitting his fifth homer in 10 games. still, Marcell Ozuna and Ozzie Albies narrowly missed adding to the home run tally with long fly balls to the outfield wall.
” I think we are playing more to our capabilities,” Braves director Brian Snitker said after winning a weekend series against the New York Yankees.” Quite actually, I still do not suppose we are hitting on all cylinders.”
Despite a valiant ninth- inning rally that saw them score twice against Cardinals near Ryan Helsley, the Braves fell suddenly, suffering just their third loss in 11 games.
” A lot of positives to take down from the eighth and ninth with having good at- bats,” Riley said.” I feel like early on in the season, we were not really doing that, and now we are.”
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Injury Concerns
Playing in 90- degree heat, Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia exited Monday’s game in the sixth inning due to dizziness. Meanwhile, Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado has missed the past two games with nerve irritation in his left forearm. In his absence, Brandon Crawford has been playing third base for the first time in his career.
Looking Ahead
As the Cardinals look to extend their winning streak, the return of key players like Contreras and Gibson will be crucial. Their resilience and determination to return ahead of schedule have provided a significant boost to the team.
