Marcell Ozuna and the Braves want to continue against the Cardinals

Although the Atlanta BravesThe line-up includes National League home run leader (Matt Olson), one of the game’s most electrifying players (Ronald Acuna Jr.), and another brawler (Austin Riley). Perhaps no one is shining brighter than Marcell Ozuna these days.

Ozuna will look to continue his winning streak Tuesday when Atlanta opens a three-game series against the guest St Louis Cardinals.

In his last 30 games, Ozuna hit .385 with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs, and hit in 28 of those contests. He was even more impressive in the back half of that run, hitting 24-of-55 (.436) with eight homers and 16 RBIs in his last 15 games.

Ozuna took a 3-1 lead on Sunday with a double and a walk Brave (90-46) lost 3-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers, ending their six-game winning streak.

Despite the setback, Atlanta still clinched three wins in the four-game streak, hit nine home runs and 19 total runs to maintain its dominance over another of the NL’s most dangerous contenders.

“It was a good series” Brave said manager Brian Snitker. “I feel like our guys feel like they can compete with anyone in the game.”

Right-hander Miles Mikolas (6-10, 4.66 ERA) will look to slow Atlanta’s rampant offense as he makes his 30th start of the season on Tuesday.

Mikolas didn’t make a decision on his last appearance after conceding three runs with seven hits in six innings against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. He walked twice and knocked out twice while failing to record his first win since July 17.

Mikolas is 1-4 with a 3.86 ERA in six career appearances (five starts) against the Brave.

Atlanta has yet to announce an official starter, but could turn to right-hander Michael Soroka (2-1, 5.52 ERA), who has struggled in the majors this season after returning from a series of Achilles tendon injuries.

Prior to his 2023 debut on May 29, Soroka had not pitched since August 3, 2020.

Soroka has not climbed the mound in a major league game since July 21, when he gave up four runs from six hits in six innings to earn a win against the Milwaukee Brewers. He walked two and fanned out four before being selected to the Triple-A Gwinnett on July 23.

Should Soroka take the lead in the opener of the series with a draw, it could be a good opportunity for him to turn the tide of his season. He is 1-0 with a .69 ERA in two career starts against St. Louis (59-78) and the cardinals have lost eight of their last 12 games despite clinching a 6-4 win over visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

The recent slide in St. Louis continued a low point season for the US cardinals, who went into 2023 with the ambition to win the NL Central. They are in serious danger of finishing with a losing record for the first time since 2007.

Rookie outfielder Jordan Walker was one of the few positive players for St. Louis as the 21-year-old comes into play on Tuesday on a six-game scoring streak. He’s 12 of 21 (.571) with three homers and seven RBIs in that span.

“If you’re a player with your skills and talent, you’ll definitely develop much faster.” cardinals said manager Oliver Marmol of Walker. “He loves the game. He loves to work hard. And it’s a matter of time before we see a much, much better player and we’re already getting a good version of him.”

—Field-level media