ATLANTA -- Gavin Floyd was impressive in his first start in a year, giving the Braves a chance to end their longest losing streak in two years. Justin Upton homered and scored the tiebreaking run on Chris Johnsons eighth-inning single, and the Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 on Tuesday night to end their seven-game skid. "That felt good," Johnson said. "Its big. We werent panicking too much. We were relaxed, even though we lost seven in a row." Floyd allowed one run on six hits in seven innings. He made his first major league start since April 27, 2013, for the White Sox against Tampa Bay. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery 10 days later, and his comeback included six minor league rehab starts this year. "It felt good," Floyd said. "There were a lot of emotions, a lot of excitement through this process leading up to it and getting back out there ... not only starting for the first time but trying to get us back on the winning side." Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez had modest expectations for Floyds return. "I didnt expect that really," Gonzalez said. "I expected a guy who was going to scuffle through five, six innings for the first time out. He hadnt been in competition in a year but he sure came out with flying colours. You couldnt ask for anything more. "He was really, really good for the first time in a year." David Carpenter (2-0) had two strikeouts in the eighth. Craig Kimbrel added two more strikeouts in a perfect ninth for his ninth save. With one out in the eighth, Upton singled to centre. Freddie Freeman followed with a liner that bounced off the leg of Randy Choate (0-1) and bounced to third baseman Matt Carpenter for an infield hit. Right-hander Pat Neshek gave up Johnsons single to right field that drove in Upton and allowed Freeman to advance to third. Johnson called the at-bat against Nesheks side-arm delivery "a grind." "It wasnt easy," Johnson said. "That guy is funky. Hes nasty. ... That was just a battle between me and him and me trying to get something in play. I was able to finally stay on the ball and kind of go the other way a little bit." Choate was left to bemoan Freemans shot that hit his leg, setting up Johnsons run-scoring hit. "If it misses me its a groundball to (shortstop) Jhonny (Peralta), probably a double play," Choate said. "I didnt feel it. I didnt even see it. It just somehow found me and ricochets off me. Thats the way it bounces sometimes and it stinks but what are you going to do?" St. Louis left-hander Tyler Lyons allowed only one run on four hits, including Uptons homer, in six innings. "Great start," said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. "Its a shame we havent been able to score that guy any runs. ... He had everything working today." Lyons retired the first 10 Braves before Upton snapped a 0-for-12 streak with his team-leading ninth homer in the fourth. The Cardinals tied it in the sixth. Matt Hollidays single to right-centre drove in Carpenter, who led off with a walk. Floyd made the start originally planned for Ervin Santana, whose spot was skipped due to his swollen right thumb. Santana is listed as the probable starter against the Cubs on Saturday. Gonzalez stayed with the structure of the revamped lineup he unveiled on Monday in an attempt to snap the losing streak and hitting slump. For the second straight game, shortstop Andrelton Simmons hit ninth, one spot behind the pitcher. NOTES: Atlantas last win was a 1-0 decision in 10 innings over the Reds on April 27. ... The losing streak was the Braves longest since eight straight losses from May 21-28, 2012. ... Matheny said 2B Mark Ellis was held out for a normal day of rest. Daniel Descalso filled in. ... The series ends on Wednesday night when Braves LHP Mike Minor looks for his first win of 2014 against Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright. ... A scoring change gave Floyd an infield single on his grounder in the fifth originally ruled as an error on Carpenter. Bruce Sutter Cardinals Jersey . Zimmermann became the National Leagues first 16-game winner, pitching seven solid innings to lead the Washington Nationals past the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 Wednesday night. Ryan Helsley Cardinals Jersey . Paul George and Darren Collison each scored 17 points and Roy Hibbert added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers (9-3), who won their third straight. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/. Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday. Wholesale Cardinals Jerseys . -- Wichita State is all alone in the record book. Roger Maris Jersey . Ortiz hit a pair of two-run homers, including his 400th shot in a Red Sox uniform, and drove in a career high-tying six runs to power Boston past the Houston Astros 10-7 on Saturday night.MONTREAL - Its been a rough season for Brandt Snedeker but the 2012 Fed Ex Cup champion hopes to have his game ready to defend his RBC Canadian Open title in July. Snedekers best result so far this year is a tie for eighth place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. He sits 113th in FedEx Cup standings and has dropped to 31st in world rankings — not the results expected from a player ranked fourth in the world only two years ago. "My golf game is not quite where I want it but Im getting closer," Snedeker said Monday on a conference call. "I have another month to get ready." The Canadian Open returns to Royal Montreal for the 10th time July 24-27. It will be the 60th anniversary of the last victory by a Canadian at the national open. The courses club pro Pat Fletcher won in 1954. Tournament director Bill Paul announced that Snedeker, Ernie Els, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan as well as Canadians Graham DeLaet, Mike Weir, David Hearn and Stephen Ames will be there. Snedeker is confident he will find his best game soon. "I go through peaks and valleys," the Nashville, Tenn., native said. "Im not a very consistent player, but you have to ride through the rough patches. "I feel Ive ridden the rough patches out and I feel a hot patch should start soon. Id love to play my best all year, but you have to have the mental fortitude tto fight through it.dddddddddddd" He is entering perhaps the most important part of the schedule, with the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in North Carolina June 12-15 and the British Open at Royal Liverpool in July, followed immediately by the Canadian Open. Snedeker plans to play 10 of the next 12 weeks. Last years Canadian Open victory at Glen Abbey near Toronto was his sixth PGA Tour win and was particularly special because his caddy Scott Vail, is from Oshawa, Ont. "I felt a lot of pressure last year on Sunday trying to pull it out for him," Snekeder said of his caddy of the last eight years, who got to take the Canadian flag from the 18th pin home as a souvenir. "Hes been a good friend for a lot of years." He caught a break when tournament leader Mahan pulled out after two rounds to be with is wife as she delivered a baby. "Golf is a funny thing, you never know whats going to happen," he said. "Any time you win you have breaks go your way. "It gave me a chance and when it happened, I took advantage of it." Snedeker has a strong history at the Canadian Open. He tied for seventh at his first one in 2007, when he was PGA Tour rookie of the year, and tied for fifth in 2009. Hes never played at Royal Montreal, an old-style, tree-lined course in Ile-Bizard, Que., but said he saw it on TV as the Americans defeated the World team in the 2007 Presidents Cup and is looking forward to trying out its Blue course. ' ' '