Maybe all the Braves needed was to get away from SunTrust Park.
For the second night in a row, it was a hot, muggy and uncomfortable setting at Busch Stadium. For the second night in a row, the Braves offense showed up while the Cardinals’ stood idle.
Nick Markakis, ticketed for his first All-Star Game next month, hit a grand slam as the Braves routed the Cardinals 11-4 on Saturday night.
In doing so, the Braves already have as many wins in St. Louis (two) as they did in a six-game homestand against the lowly Orioles and Reds. They’ve outscored the Cardinals, 16-5.
Max Fried mowed down the Cardinals. He went 6 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and striking out 11. The eye-test was even more impressive than the box score, and it’s possible Fried gets another outing, perhaps Thursday in Milwaukee.
Ronald Acuna blasted a two-run shot over the center-field wall for the Braves’ first two runs in the second. It was his first hit since returning from the disabled list Friday.
The floodgates opened against Luke Weaver in a six-run fifth. The Braves put up a combined eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Fried got the inning going with his first major-league hit with one out. Ender Inciarte followed him with a single. Ozzie Albies’ ground-rule double pushed it to 3-0.
Weaver, still in the game with no one stirring in the Cardinals bullpen, intentionally walked Freddie Freeman to load the bases. Freeman had hit .163 in his past 10 games.
The move proved foolish. Markakis put a change-up into the stands for a 7-0 lead. Kurt Suzuki grounded out before Acuna doubled and then scored on Dansby Swanson’s single.
Weaver was mercifully lifted after the eighth run. The loss continued an eight-start winless streak at home that dates back to Sept. 14 of last season.
The Braves clinched their second series win in St. Louis since 2013, and open their hardest road trip of the season with consecutive wins. They’re 29-19 against teams with winning records, the fourth-best mark in MLB, and best in the National League.
