If asked to prove its mettle, manager Mike Matheny's club can point to its response after what could have been a knockout punch, that embarrassing 11-3 debacle in Milwaukee. It turned out that was not The Turning Point. But a glimpse of this team's best baseball did arrive immediately after a flash of its worst.
The Cardinals had served up a home run to Freddie Freeman, botched a couple of plays and made Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz look like Mike Scott circa 1986. Atlanta led, 6-0, and a noticeable amount of fans at Busch Stadium had abandoned their seats in search of air conditioning.