After superb outing from Garcia, can Martinez follow suit on Saturday?

ST. LOUIS -- And the winner is ... Roberto Hernandez.

Hernandez, known as Fausto Carmona when he won 19 games for the 2007 Cleveland Indians that reached the American League Championship Series, starts Saturday night's game for the Atlanta Braves at the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 36-year old Hernandez was about the only logical choice Atlanta (39-70) had for this one after right-hander Aaron Blair, who it had planned to promote from Triple-A Gwinnett to make the start, injured his knee Thursday and landed on the disabled list.

Their rotation already threadbare by other injuries and trades, the Braves turned to Hernandez, who is 4-6 with a 4.60 ERA in 16 International League starts between Buffalo and Gwinnett.

Hernandez was picked up by Atlanta on July 15, so forgive interim manager Brian Snitker if his scouting report on him isn't exactly detailed.

"I don't know," Snitker said. "I haven't talked to anybody. Last time I seen him on TV, he started the season opener in '06 when I managed Triple A -- Buffalo against Richmond."

The following year, Hernandez -- a.k.a. Carmona -- enjoyed by far the best year of his MLB career. He drew votes for the Cy Young Award and helped Cleveland get within a game of the World Series.

But Hernandez couldn't follow that season with other good ones and has bounced from team-to-team over the last five years. He started this year in Toronto's organization, but was released July 3.

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While the Braves are just trying to piece together a rotation to finish out their final 53 games, St. Louis (58-51) is in a fight with the Miami Marlins and others for a wild-card spot.

Friday night's 1-0 victory over Atlanta kept the Cardinals in lockstep with Miami for wild card number two. They were led by starter Jaime Garcia, who fanned 11 over eight scoreless innings and knocked in the only run with a second inning single.

Garcia's outing was just the team's seventh quality start since the All-Star break. Not only did it serve as a great bounceback from his 11-0 loss on July 30 in Miami, it gave an overworked bullpen a night off, save for closer Seung Hwan Oh.

"If we had had a little more room, we could have sat the bullpen down and given them a night's rest," manager Mike Matheny said of the decision to lift Garcia after eight innings. "Jaime wanted the ball (in the ninth) and probably deserved the ball, but they were turning the lineup over for a fourth time. We need every win we can get."

St. Louis' Carlos Martinez (10-6, 2.99 ERA) will try to ape Garcia's effort. Martinez is 2-0 in his career against the Braves, earning a 1-0 win against them last July and a 12-2 decision on April 9 in Atlanta, working six innings in that one.

Martinez is coming off a no-decision Sunday in Miami, working seven innings and allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks, whiffing four. Martinez shrugged off a three-run first to keep the Cardinals in the game.