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Cardinals-Braves Preview

Apr 9, 2016 - 4:38 AM The St. Louis Cardinals finally got their first victory at the expense of the Atlanta Braves, who are still looking to crack the win column.

The Braves could be in for a challenge Saturday night since they have never scored off Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez, who makes his season debut in the middle game of this series at Turner Field.

St. Louis avoided its first 0-4 start since 1997 by becoming the first team with three pinch-hit homers in Friday's 7-4 victory. Rookies Aledmys Diaz and Jeremy Hazelbaker went deep and Greg Garcia also connected off the bench over the final three innings.

"That's very hard to believe. ... I've never even heard of that,'' Garcia said.

Stephen Piscotty added a solo shot for the Cardinals, who homered twice in their first three games. Hazelbaker's second of the season tied the game in the seventh inning and Diaz hit his first to snap a deadlock in the eighth.

It added up to more frustration for the Braves, who blew a four-run lead and are 0-3 for the first time since losing their first four in 2012. Atlanta led after six innings for the second straight game after blowing an eighth-inning advantage on opening day.

''We're playing good baseball," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. ''It's just one inning or one play kind of gets us these last three games."

It won't get any easier against Martinez, who went 14-7 with a 3.01 ERA last season for the Cardinals. He was 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA with 16 strikeouts over 15 2-3 innings in four spring starts, staying in Florida for a minor league outing last weekend in preparation for this game.

The right-hander has pitched 10 2-3 scoreless innings against the Braves, including eight in a 1-0 victory July 25 in his lone start against them. The only Atlanta batter with an extra-base hit against him is Drew Stubbs, who was 1 for 3 on Friday.

The Braves are looking for offense from their top four returning RBI leaders from last year - Freddie Freeman, Nick Markakis, Jace Peterson and A.J. Pierzynski. Those hitters have combined to go 4 for 32 with three RBIs.

Pierzynski figures to be back behind the plate after Tyler Flowers started in his club debut Friday.

His batterymate will be Julio Teheran (0-0, 3.00 ERA), who gave up two runs in six innings Monday in a 4-3, 10-inning defeat to Washington.

That was the right-hander's first start since he struck out six in six innings against a makeshift St. Louis lineup on the final weekend of last season in a 4-0 victory Oct. 2. He's 1-1 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts versus the Cardinals.

Yadier Molina is 0 for 6 against Teheran and 3 for 15 this season. Molina passed Ted Simmons' team-record 1,439 games played at catcher Friday.

The Cardinals continue to play sloppy baseball with an NL-high six errors - all in the last three games.

Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte is day to day after leaving Friday with tightness in his left hamstring, with Stubbs replacing him.

"I feel like I stopped right before it popped,'' Inciarte said.