Atlanta Braves vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Box Score – September 12, 2009 – ESPN

Weird game. The Cards took a 2-0 lead in the first, but the Braves came right back with three runs, which scored in weird fashion. ACHE singled, and with one out LaRoche “tripled” — I don’t know what’s odder, the “triple” or any play that doesn’t leave the park that scores Anderson from first. Then with two out, Tim Hudson hit a two-run homer, the first in his career. In the fourth, McLouth hit a bases-loaded single that somehow — I would guess Snitker was intimately involved — only scored one run. LaRussa brought in a reliever, who got a double play to get out of the jam.

Hudson allowed a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 4-3. The Braves loaded the bases again in the next inning, and got one run on a sac fly, but that was it, and the Cards rallied in the sixth to make it 5-4. They had it second and third, none out, but Moylan came in and got out of it with a couple of strikeouts. He then pitched a perfect seventh, too, with a couple of strikeouts, showing that Bobby has apparently remembered that a pitcher can actually stay in the game for a second relief inning.

But Mike Gonzalez couldn’t hold the lead. It wasn’t entirely his fault. He probably was to blame for the one run, which reached on a walk, went to second on a wild pitch, and stole third. But the infield utterly collapsed, with an infield hit and two errors, plus a blown double play, allowing the Cards to make it 6-5. The Braves rallied, though. McLouth led off with a double, then Prado singled to make it first and third. Chipper walked to load the bases — I will never understand why they keep pitching around him to get to McCann. Brian had one of those plate appearances. He fell behind 1-2, fouled off a couple of pitches, then lined a double to make it 7-6. The Braves didn’t get another run out of the situation, but Soriano didn’t need it. Again, he struck out the first guy and cruised from there to nail down the save.