ATLANTA – Julio Teheran closed out the regular season just the way he wanted.
Teheran pitched six strong innings, Daniel Castro drove in two runs and the Atlanta Braves beat the NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 on Friday night.
“You want to finish strong,” Teheran said. “That’s what you want to take home.”
St. Louis, which opens the postseason at home next Friday, was coming off a three-game series win at Pittsburgh that secured its third straight division title. Manager Mike Matheny gave most of his everyday players the night off.
Teheran (11-8) allowed five hits, walked one and struck out six. The right-hander went 2-1 with a 1.62 ERA in his last six starts. The Braves’ season ends Sunday.