ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Lars Nootbaar hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Matthew Liberatore pitched six strong innings as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Saturday at Busch Stadium III.

Nootbaar’s blast to right-center field scored Iván Herrera and Jordan Walker, giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. Blaze Jordan added an RBI single in the fourth inning to push the lead to 4-0.

Liberatore (5-6) allowed four hits and struck out six over six scoreless innings. Riley O’Brien earned his 24th save with a perfect ninth, striking out one.

Mauricio Dubón hit a solo home run in the seventh for Atlanta’s only run. Reynaldo López (4-2) took the loss, allowing five hits and four earned runs in five innings.

The Braves (54-40) outhit St. Louis (50-44) 6-5 but could not overcome the early deficit. Attendance was 29,122. The game lasted 2 hours, 19 minutes.