ATLANTA • With a gleaming opportunity to set the pace in the wild-card race as it nears the turn, the Cardinals’ offense had to first mash the pedal to stay ahead of their bullpen.
On the way to an 11-6 victory against Atlanta on Monday night at the suburban short-track of SunTrust Park, the Cardinals hit four home runs and scored in five innings to take a lead and then push, push, push to give the relievers some added comfort. The Braves scored one in the seventh, and Harrison Bader followed with a three-run homer in the eighth.