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Braves seek to stay on track with series win over Cards

May 30, 2012 - 2:48 PM (Sports Network) - Coming off their first win in more than a week, the Atlanta Braves target a series victory tonight versus the St. Louis Cardinals in the finale of a three-game series from Turner Field.

The Braves ended a season-high eight-game losing streak with last night's 5-4 win, as Dan Uggla belted a three-run home run and Michael Bourn added a solo shot to lead the charge. Jose Costanza scored on a wild pitch for the Braves, who avoided their longest slide since dropping nine in a row from April 21-29, 2010 and batted just .178 as a team during the skid.

Atlanta also dropped from first to last in the National League East during the losing streak and currently sits three games off the lead -- one game ahead of Philadelphia.

"To finally end that little [losing] streak is huge," Uggla said. "Now we can ... move on to [Wednesday] and try to win the series."

Randall Delgado started for Atlanta and earned the win with 5 1/3 innings pitched, allowing three runs and six hits before the bullpen took over. Craig Kimbrel came on in the ninth and struck out a pair of batters for his 14th save of the season.

Atlanta is 1-4 on a six-game homestand and will open a six-game trek against Washington and Miami on Friday. The ballclub hopes to get first baseman Freddie Freeman back into the starting lineup tonight and he has been sidelined the past four days with an eye issue. Freeman is expected to have his specially made glasses in time for Wednesday's game.

"I will have goggles [Wednesday] and we're going to see if they can work [Wednesday]," Freeman told the team's website.

Freeman is batting .247 with seven homers, 29 runs and 32 RBI this season. Meanwhile, future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones did not play because of a leg injury and the team is 8-19 without him as opposed to a 19-5 mark with him.

Tim Hudson suffered through arguably his worst outing of the season the last time out and gets the nod again for Atlanta this evening. Hudson was pounded for a season-high seven runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings in Friday's 7-4 loss versus Washington. He had allowed three runs in his previous three starts.

Hudson fell to 3-2 in six starts and saw his earned run average go from 3.03 to 4.12. The veteran right-hander, who is 2-1 in three home assignments this season, will make his 12th career start against the Cardinals. He is 3-4 with a hefty 5.59 ERA over the first 11 meetings with St. Louis.

St. Louis had a modest two-game winning streak stopped and lost for the fourth time in six tries last night. Jake Westbrook was no help whatsoever and yielded five runs -- four earned -- and five hits in five innings.

"I thought he pitched all right," Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina said of Westbrook. "We made two or three mistakes up."

Molina went 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBI for the Cardinals, who fell to 1-1 on a season-long 10-game, 11-day road trip and will also visit the Mets and Astros. Matt Holliday scored twice and finished with two hits, and has crossed the plate 24 times this month.

Cardinals third baseman and 2011 World Series MVP David Freese did not play for the second straight game because of right wrist soreness and could miss Wednesday's series finale as well. He is hitting .270 this season with 10 homers and 33 runs batted in.

"It's bothering him enough that it's not right," Cardinals first-year manager Mike Matheny said. "I don't know if we could get ahead of it except by giving it the rest that it needs."

Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran needs one more stolen base for 300.

The defending-champion Cardinals will send Kyle Lohse to the mound tonight for his 11th start of the season and he has recorded three straight no-decisions to go along with a 4.82 earned run average. Lohse, who hasn't won since May 9 at Arizona, allowed three runs -- two earned -- and six hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 5-3 home loss to Philadelphia on Friday.

Lohse opened the year with a 5-1 mark and still boasts that record with a decent 2.90 ERA over 62 innings pitched this season. The righty is 4-1 in six road starts this season and has made nine career starts against his former Cardinals team, going 3-1 with a 4.56 ERA.

Atlanta swept a three-game set in St. Louis from May 11-13.