Eli White belted a three-run homer in the eighth inning to cap the Atlanta Braves’ rally for a 4-1 victory over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 on Wednesday that claimed the rubber game of their three-game series.

White connected on a slider from reliever Ryan Fernandez for his first homer of the season, a shot that went 434 feet into the left-field stands. Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies opened the inning with singles.

The Braves have won five of their last six. St. Louis has lost six of its last seven.

The winning pitcher was Daysbel Hernandez (3-0), who struck out the only batter he faced in the eighth inning and worked around a single in the ninth to finish the game. He struck out two in 1 1/3 innings.

The losing pitcher was reliever JoJo Romero (1-3), who allowed the singles by Olson and Albies that set up White’s game-winning blast.

St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas and Atlanta starter Bryce Elder both enjoyed their best starts of the year. Mikolas lasted a season-high six innings, did not surrender a run, allowed six hits, walked two and struck out two. Elder also threw six innings and allowed a season-low one run on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

The Cardinals jumped on Elder for two walks and two hits in the first inning, highlighted by Nolan Arenado’s RBI double.

The Braves had runners on the corners in the first and second innings, but failed to score. Nick Allen was picked off first in the second to end that threat.

Allen atoned for the mistake in the seventh when he doubled off reliever John King and made it 1-1 when Michael Harris II looped an RBI single to right. That set up White’s heroics in the eighth.

St. Louis second baseman Brendan Donovan missed his second straight game with a strained rib.

Both teams are off Thursday and open three-game series on Friday — St. Louis at home against Milwaukee, Atlanta on the road against Arizona.

–Field Level Media