ATLANTA (AP) After seeing the Braves leave runners in scoring position in the first three extra innings, Tommy Pham was sure the Cardinals would take advantage when their opportunity arrived.
He was the one who came through.
Pham hit two homers, including a two-run drive in the 14th inning, and St. Louis recovered after blowing a four-run lead to beat Atlanta 6-4 on Sunday and complete a three-game sweep.
Pham’s long home run in the 14th off Josh Collmenter (0-1) drove in rookie Magneuris Sierra, who reached on second baseman Jace Peterson‘s fielding error.
“I was pumped,” Pham said. “I was telling everybody in the dugout, `Let’s go!’ I was joking around – `We don’t get paid for overtime.’ When Peterson made that error, it was our chance, and coincidentally I was the guy up with the opportunity. To come through and get it over with was huge.”
Recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Friday, Pham had a career-high four hits and drove in three runs. He also hit a homer on Friday.
Freddie Freeman‘s 11th homer off Brett Cecil in the eighth tied the game, completing Atlanta’s comeback from a 4-0 deficit.
Matt Carpenter had a first-inning homer for St. Louis. He went deep in all three games during the series, giving him seven home runs this season.
Sam Tuivailala (1-0), the Cardinals’ seventh pitcher, allowed one hit in two scoreless innings. Kevin Siegrist worked the 14th for his first save.
The Braves used nine pitchers and the Cardinals eight in a game that lasted 4 hours, 6 minutes.
Photo Credit-John Bazemore/Associated Press/Atlanta, GA
