Mike Foltynewicz, Adam Duvall come through as Braves beat Cardinals to even NLDS

AP photo by John Bazemore / Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz pitches during the first inning of Game 2 of the Braves' NL Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday in Atlanta.
AP photo by John Bazemore / Atlanta starter Mike Foltynewicz pitches during the first inning of Game 2 of the Braves' NL Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday in Atlanta.

ATLANTA - When Mike Foltynewicz was summering in the minor leagues, it was hard to envision an October like this.

Yet there he was Friday, coming through when his team needed him most.

Foltynewicz threw seven dominating innings, Adam Duvall hit a pinch-hit home run and the Atlanta Braves won 3-0 to even their National League Division Series with the St. Louis Cardinals at a game apiece.

After spending a good chunk of his summer with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, Foltynewicz has been a different pitcher since returning to the majors. He went 6-1 with a 2.65 ERA over his final 10 starts in the regular season, a brilliant run that carried right into the postseason.

"Pretty special," Foltynewicz said. "I really made sure to slow things down, to stay in my mechanics and make sure all my pitches were working like they were tonight. It was smooth sailing, so it was a lot of fun."

The best-of-five series now shifts to St. Louis, where Mike Soroka goes for the Braves in Game 3 on Sunday against Adam Wainwright. The Cardinals also host Game 4 on OVERSET FOLLOWS:Monday. Game 5, if necessary, would be played Wednesday in Atlanta.

Pitching opposite St. Louis ace Jack Flaherty, who had one of the greatest second halves in MLB history, Foltynewicz allowed three hits, struck out seven batters and walked none during an 83-pitch outing that kept the Cardinals from mounting any semblance of offense.

He only allowed one runner as far as second base - and it wasn't his fault. In the second inning, Yadier Molina singled and Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies extended the inning by misplaying Paul DeJong's grounder for an error.

No problem. Foltynewicz fanned Harrison Bader to end the threat.

After Kolten Wong hit into a double play to wrap up the seventh, Duvall emerged from the dugout to hit for Foltynewicz in the bottom half. Duvall was greeted by a smattering of boos from the SunTrust Park crowd that clearly wanted Foltynewicz to go at least one more inning - especially after the Braves bullpen imploded the night before in a Game 1 loss.

The heckles turned to cheers when Duvall drove a 3-2 pitch from Flaherty into the center-field seats for a two-run homer, giving the Braves a bit of breathing room.

"I heard 50,000 people let me know that they wanted Folty to stay in the game," Duvall quipped. "I wanted to put together a good at-bat."

photo AP photo by John Amis / Atlanta Braves pinch hitter Adam Duvall rounds the bases after slugging a two-run homer against the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh inning of Game 2 of their NL Division Series on Friday in Atlanta. The Braves won 3-0 to even the best-of-five series, with Game 3 Sunday in St. Louis.

Third baseman Josh Donaldson drove in the other run with a two-out single in the first.

"I don't look at what that other guy is doing," Flaherty said. "It came down to really two pitches."

An All-Star in 2018 who started two games for the Braves in last year's playoffs, Foltynewicz was demoted to the minors in late June with a record of 2-5 and a 6.37 ERA. He didn't return until early August.

"It's pretty cool to see for a guy that went through what he went through this year and where he's come back from," Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

Duvall spent nearly the entire season at Triple-A, so it wouldn't be a stretch to say this was as much a victory for Gwinnett as Atlanta.

Max Fried, normally a starter and pitching on back-to-back days for the first time all season, breezed through the eighth before turning it over to Mark Melancon, who had given up four runs in the ninth inning of the series opener, sending the Braves to a 7-6 loss.

Melancon surrendered a pair of one-out singles Friday, drawing groans from the crowd, but he struck out Molina and Wong to earn the second postseason save of his MLB career.

Yet this one will be remembered for Foltynewicz outdueling Flaherty, who had surrendered three runs only one time in 15 second-half starts this year. The 23-year-old right-hander went 7-2 with a 0.91 ERA after the All-Star break, a minuscule figure surpassed only by Jake Arrieta (0.75) for the 2015 Chicago Cubs and Greg Maddux (0.87) for the 1994 Braves.

Flaherty was the NL pitcher of the month for both August and September.

Foltynewicz has the upper hand in October, joining Hall of Famers Maddux (Game 2 of the 1996 World Series) and Tom Glavine (Game 7 of the 1996 NL Championship Series) as the only Braves pitchers since 1958 to go at least seven innings in a postseason game without giving up a run or a walk.

There was a more minor redemption for another Brave on Friday.

After being criticized for hot-dogging after hitting a deep fly ball in Game 1 - and possibly costing himself an extra base and the Braves a crucial run - Ronald Acuña Jr. went full speed every chance he got. The young Atlanta slugger sprinted down the line on a groundout in the first, then hustled for a double in the seventh on a chopper down the third-base line.

On the injury front, Braves right-hander Chris Martin was replaced on the 25-man roster by Julio Teheran. Martin strained his left oblique on his very first warmup throw while preparing to pitch in Game 1. He'll miss the rest of this series and must sit out the NLCS should the Braves advance.

Soroka (13-4, 2.68 ERA) has been especially tough on the road (7-1, 1.55 ERA), which is why the Braves held him back until Game 3. Sunday's battle of the ages will the 22-year-old right-hander against the 38-year-old Wainwright (14-10, 4.29 ERA), who began his career in the Braves organization before a trade to the Cardinals in 2003.

The Braves haven't led in a postseason series since they were up 2-1 in a 2002 NLDS against San Francisco. Atlanta wound up losing the final two games to the Giants - part of a streak of nine straight playoff series losses that is only one away from the Chicago Cubs' record for postseason futility.

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