The Atlanta Braves had been on a bit of a roll in recent days, but their winning streak came to an end on Monday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite a late comeback attempt in the ninth inning, Atlanta fell by a score of 4-3.
Randall Delgado and Julio Teheran, two pitchers battling for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, were on the mound, with Delgado working the first five innings and Teheran pitching the final four. While neither had their best stuff, they held their own and kept the Braves in the game.
Delgado allowed two runs to score on three hits and three walks. He struck out five against a Cardinals lineup with numerous starters playing. Teheran also allowed two runs to cross the plate on five hits and two walks. He struck out four.
It seems like Teheran should be the one with the Major League club to begin the year, especially since he spent most of last season at Triple-A while Delgado was at Double-A Mississippi, but it sounds like it may actually be Delgado who has the leg up at this point in Spring Training.
Brian McCann hit his first home run of the exhibition season in the seventh inning, which was the lone extra-base hit of the bay. Freddie Freeman roped out two singles, while shortstop prospect Andrelton Simmons went 0-for-4 to drop his average to .200.
The Braves will face Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers (again) on Tuesday afternoon.