ST. LOUIS — Spencer Strider wanted to go deeper in the game and wasn’t thrilled with his performance, but in the end, the rookie right-hander knew he did his job for the Atlanta Braves.
They won again, and so did he.
Strider pitched six strong innings and William Contreras hit a three-run double as the streaking Braves defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 11-4 on Friday night.
The reigning World Series champions have won four straight games, seven of their past eight and 15 of their past 17. The Braves have won the National League East title the past four seasons but are currently second in the division standings to the New York Mets, who beat the Colorado Rockies in walk-off fashion and remained two games ahead of Atlanta.
Braves manager Brian Snitker said his team is finding different ways to win, and scoring 11 runs without a homer was yet another.