Teheran sharp in final outing as Braves blank Cardinals, 4-0

ATLANTA _ After getting high-quality starts from rookie pitchers in each of the first three games of a season-ending homestand, the Braves got an even better one Friday from their once-and-again ace, Julio Teheran, who qualifies as a veteran on this youthful staff.tmpplchld Daniel Castro drove in two runs with a homer and a double, and Teheran pitched six crisp innings against a backup-filled St. Louis Cardinals lineup in a 4-0 series-opening win Friday at Turner Field. It was Braves’ sixth win in seven home games since losing 14 of 15.tmpplchld Teheran (11-8) allowed five hits and one walk with six strikeouts, and Braves starters have allowed just two runs in 26 innings through four games on a homestand that began with a 2-1 series win against the Washington Nationals.tmpplchld A win Saturday or Sunday against the National League Central champions would give the 95-loss Braves four series wins in their final five, after they dropped eight of the previous nine series. They’ve won eight of 13 games since a mind-numbing 4-26 stretch through Sept. 17.tmpplchld They took a 2-0 lead with four consecutive one-out hits in the fourth inning off left-hander Jaime Garcia, a sequence that started with Castro’s second homer and ended with A.J. Pierzynksi’s RBI double. In between there were singles from Nick Markakis and Adonis Garcia.tmpplchld Castro added an RBI double in a two-run eighth inning.tmpplchld Staked to a 2-0 lead in the third inning, Teheran protected it and finished an impressive late-season run that helped push his early season woes farther into the rearview mirror. He’ll finish the season with a 4.04 ERA _ easily the highest of his three full seasons _ and 171 strikeouts in 2002/3 innings, but his second half was almost as good as the first half was bad.tmpplchld He raised some eyebrows in the front office by posting a 4.94 ERA and .279 opponents’ average in 16 starts through the end of June. Teheran made an adjustment in his delivery, amped up his aggressiveness, and recorded a 3.23 ERA and .229 opponents’ average in his final 17 starts.tmpplchld He was 2-1 with a 1.51 ERA in his final six starts, and the Braves scored only one run while he was in the game in three of those non-wins.tmpplchld The Cardinals rested their lineup regulars in their first game since clinching the National League Central title with a win in the nightcap of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Pittsburgh, their majors-leading 100th win. They were off Thursday.tmpplchld The Cardinals were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. During the Braves’ five-game home winning streak that ended Thursday _ in which the Braves scored two runs every game _ their pitchers held opponents to 2-for-37 with runners in scoring position.tmpplchld Castro’s home run, a pulled shot to the left-field corner, was the rookie’s second homer, and he added a single in the fourth inning and a run-scoring double in the eighth. He also reached base on an error in the sixth inning.tmpplchld Castro has played mostly against lefties in a late-season platoon with second baseman Jace Peterson. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said they could go into the 2016 season with that arrangement, but also said the Braves could also start the season with Peterson back in an every-day role rather than a platoon player.tmpplchld Teheran, after not allowing more than six hits or two runs in any of his five September starts worked out of several tight spots Friday, including a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the fifth inning.tmpplchld After a Brandon Moss single, Tony Cruz double and Peter Kozma walk loaded the bases, Teheran got pinch-hitter John Jay to bounce into a 1-2-3 double play, then struck out Tommy Pham.tmpplchld The Cardinals also had a runner in scoring position in the first, second and sixth innings after one-out doubles in each case. After Brandon Moss doubled and went to third on a passed ball in the second inning, Teheran induced a fielder’s choice grounder to second baseman Castro for the out at home before Pete Kozma lined out to end the inning.tmpplchld After Randal Grichuk’s double in the sixth, Teheran struck out Matt Adams and got Mark Reynolds on a line-out to center.tmpplchld Eight of 38 earned runs allowed by Teheran in his last 17 starts came in 41/3 innings against the Yankees on Aug. 30. He gave up seven runs in six starts (39 innings) the rest of the way.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.)tmpplchld Visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) at www.ajc.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld