ATLANTA – Freddie Freeman, the Atlanta Braves’ veteran first baseman, spent the past four years enduring an average of 90 losses per season.
Now that the Braves are again challenging for a division title, the three-time All-Star knows his club can’t afford any long losing streaks.
“It’s been four days, so I thought this was a big win for our team,” Freeman said. “I thought we played a quality baseball game today, and hopefully we can carry that into this Philly series.”
Freeman hit a two-run home run and drove in three runs, and Touki Toussaint pitched into the sixth inning as the NL East-leading Braves snapped their four-game skid with a 7-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.
It was a big win for Atlanta, which began the day with a 5 1/2-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies and opens a four-game home series against them Thursday. The Braves need any combination of six victories or Philadelphia losses to clinch their first division title since 2013.