ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Jimmy Crooks’ solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night at Busch Stadium III, snapping a three-game losing streak for the home side.

The game unfolded as a crisp pitchers’ duel before 26,609 fans, with the Braves striking first in the top of the fifth inning. Mike Yastrzemski doubled off St. Louis starter Kyle Leahy and scored on a sharp single by Austin Riley to center field. That 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the sixth, when the Cardinals manufactured the tying run.

Atlanta starter Chris Sale worked three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out five. Victor Mederos followed with two perfect innings, fanning three, and kept the Braves ahead until Didier Fuentes entered in the sixth. Fuentes gave up a leadoff single to Iván Herrera and a line-drive single to Jordan Walker that scored JJ Wetherholt, who had walked, to knot the game at 1-1.

The score remained tied through the seventh, with both bullpens trading zeros. In the top of the eighth, St. Louis reliever JoJo Romero retired the Braves in order, striking out pinch-hitter Joey Bart and getting Michael Harris II on a flyout and Ozzie Albies on a groundout. Then in the bottom half, Crooks crushed his second home run of the season, a solo shot to center field off Braves reliever Danny Young, who took the loss.

St. Louis closer Riley O’Brien worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out Matt Olson and Mauricio Dubón around a flyout from Drake Baldwin, to secure his 23rd save of the season. Romero earned his first win in three decisions.

The Braves managed only three hits overall, with Yastrzemski’s double and Riley’s RBI single accounting for the only extra-base knock, plus a single from shortstop Jim Jarvis. St. Louis collected five hits, led by Herrera and Walker each with two singles, and Crooks’ decisive homer.

The victory improved St. Louis to 49-44 while Atlanta fell to 54-39. The two teams continue their three-game series Saturday before the All-Star break.

The game lasted 2 hours, 23 minutes.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of St. Louis 5, Atlanta 4. Interstat’s ELO system had given Atlanta a 52.00 percent probability to win. Atlanta had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total of 3 runs went under the over-under line of 8.