ST. LOUIS -- Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was so impressed with Mike Minor that he referenced two of the best pitchers in the National League. Minor bounced back from the shortest outing of his career with seven strong innings, leading Atlanta to a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. "I felt like I was pounding the zone, hitting more spots," Minor said. Atlanta, which has the best record in the NL, salvaged the finale of the four-game set. Andrelton Simmons hit his 12th homer for the Braves, who closed out a 2-4 road trip. Minor (13-5) gave up one run and six hits while pitching on seven days rest after allowing four runs in 1 2-3 innings against Washington on Aug. 17. The left-hander struck out two and walked one, playing a big role in the end of St. Louis four-game winning streak and prompting his manager to compare him to aces Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. "Hes developing into a big-time deal," Gonzalez said. "The Wainwrights of the world, the Kershaws of the world, they stop losing streaks and extend winning streaks. "Hes becoming one of those guys." Minor also beat the Cardinals 4-1 on July 26, starting the Braves on a 14-game winning streak. "He was sharp today, he didnt give us a lot of mistakes to handle," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "And he got out of any kind of jams that he got himself into." Minor, who also legged out an infield hit in the seventh, recorded his team-high 19th quality start. He leads the team with a career-high 13 wins, but he had little interest in any talk of being a stopper. "I dont look at myself as the ace of this team," he said. Simmons hit a solo drive in the seventh for his 12th homer, giving the Braves a 4-1 lead. Craig Kimbrel came on with two out in the eighth and picked up his 41st save in 44 opportunities. It was his first four-out save of the season, a trend that may continue in October. "We may have to do that come post-season," Gonzalez said. "It was perfect timing. He hasnt pitched in three days, with a day off tomorrow, it made a lot of sense to push him and he came through." Kimbrel enjoyed the extra work. He also liked sitting the dugout for a change between the eighth and ninth innings. "I found myself talking and joking around," he said. "Then I said, Wait Ive got three more outs to get. But I was able to get back out there and get in the zone." Atlanta jumped on Lance Lynn (13-8), scoring one in the first and two in the second. Lynn gave up four runs and nine hits over seven innings while dropping to 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA in his last four starts. The Braves needed just six pitches to jump in front. Jordan Schafer led off the game with a triple and came in on a run-scoring single by Elliot Johnson, his first RBI as a member of the Braves. Gerald Laird and Joey Terdoslavich, getting spot starts, each singled to start the second. Paul Janish followed with an RBI single. Schafer then pushed the lead to 3-0 with a double, marking the first time in his career he tripled and doubled in the same game. The win helped Atlanta get back on track against the Cardinals. The Braves swept St. Louis in a three-game series July 26-28 in Atlanta. "You dont want to get swept especially by a team thats a playoff team that you have the potential of seeing," Schafer said. "You dont want them to have confidence if you face them in the playoffs." St. Louis infielder Matt Carpenter had two hits, pushing his NL-best total to 157. He doubled in the sixth and scored on a groundout by Matt Holliday, who has an RBI in his last five games. Allen Craig had three of the Cardinals eight hits for his 44th multihit game of the season. "We wanted the sweep, but its still a really good series to win three games out of four against a tough team," Craig said. The Braves won for the first time since outfielder Jason Heyward suffered a broken jaw on Wednesday in New York. Heyward, who was hit by a pitch from Jonathon Niese, will be out four to six weeks. NOTES: The Cardinals will play their next 13 games against NL Central rivals Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. ... Atlanta begins a nine-game homestand on Tuesday with the opener of a three-game series against Cleveland. Braves LHP Alex Wood (2-2, 2.50 ERA) faces Danny Salazar (1-1, 3.52 ERA) in the opener. ... St. Louis hosts Cincinnati on Monday in the start of a three-game series. Tyler Lyons (2-4, 5.09 ERA) takes on Cincinnatis Mike Leake (11-5, 3.12 ERA). ... Atlanta is 7-7 since ending a 14-game winning streak on Aug. 10. Nmd r2 Damen Schweiz . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Nmd Schweiz . LOUIS -- The St. http://www.nmdschweizkaufen.ch/eqt-outlet.html . Its the second of three meetings between these teams this season. Vancouver was a 2-1 winner on home ice December 22nd. Nmd Schweiz Outlet .J. -- After getting permission from his 7-year-old daughter, New York Giants offensive lineman David Diehl has retired after an 11-year career that included two Super Bowl championships. Lite Racer Schweiz . LA (SportsNetwork. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius was in an altercation at an upmarket nightclub over the weekend, his family said Tuesday. Pistorius went with a cousin to a trendy Johannesburg nightclub on Saturday, where he was accosted by a man who aggressively questioned him about his murder trial, his family confirmed. The man gave a different version, saying the double-amputee runner was drunk, insulted his friends and the family of President Jacob Zuma and poked him in the chest, according to Johannesburgs Star newspaper. Regardless of who started the argument, the weekend episode focuses fresh attention on the disputed character of Pistorius, a globally recognized athlete who is on trial for murder after he fatally shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a closed toilet door on Feb. 14, 2013. Defence lawyers describe Pistorius, currently free on bail, as a vulnerable figure with a disability who pulled the trigger in a tragic case of mistaken identity, but prosecutors portray him as a gun-obsessed hothead who shot Steenkamp after the couple quarreled. The trial is on a break ahead of closing arguments on Aug. 7-8, sparing Pistorius the near-daily trip to the Pretoria courthouse, where he has sometimes wept and wailed in apparent distress during testimony. The nightclub argument has put him back on the front pages of South Africas press, which has also highlighted a number of quotations about suffering and religious faith that appeared on his Twitter account in the hours that followed. The altercation in the nightspot cannot be a factor in Pistorius trial, said a legal analyst who has closely followed proceedings. "It would not be appropriate to mention it in closing arguments as it would constitute hearsay as no previous witness has entered evidence of it on the trial record," Kelly Phelps, a senior lecturer in the public law department at the University of Cape Town, wrote in an email to The Associated Press. "If it had occurred earlier in proceedings the gentleman concerned could have been called as a witness or Mr. Pistorius could have been questioned on the reports. Even then it would have very little value. The most important thing the court needs to determine is what Pistorius was thinking and how he was acting on the night in question," wrote Phelps, referring to the night on which Pistorius killed Steenkamp. Pistorius had been barred from consuming alcohol under early bail conditions, but the ban was rescinded after the defence appealed. He was seated in a quiet booth in the VIP section of the nightclub before he was approached, said Anneliese Burgess, a spokeswoman for the Pistorius family. "The individual, according to my client, started to aggressively interrogate him on matters relating to the trial. An argument ensued during which my client asked to be left alone," she said in a statement. "Osccar soon thereafter left the club with his cousin.dddddddddddd My client regrets the decision to go to a public space and thereby inviting unwelcome attention." The man who argued with Pistorius is Jared Mortimer, according to Johannesburgs Star newspaper and The Juice, a South African celebrity news website, which quoted Mortimer as saying the Paralympic athlete started the confrontation. Pistorius said Mortimers friends had betrayed him in the murder trial, The Star quoted Mortimer as saying in an apparent reference to evidence presented in court. The athlete also said he had information that could get those friends into trouble, but he would not use it, according to Mortimer. "He was drunk, but not bad. We were drinking tequila and I still remember putting down my drink and thinking I couldnt drink it while my friends were being spoken of like that," The Star quoted Mortimer as saying. Pistorius also insulted the family of the South African president, Jacob Zuma, upsetting Mortimer, who is a friend of a member of Zumas family, according to the newspaper. "He was poking me and saying that I would never get the better of him," the newspaper quoted Mortimer as saying. "He was close to my face and at that point I pushed him to get him away from me. A chair was behind his legs and he fell to the ground." The altercation happened Saturday night in Sandton, an upscale area in Johannesburg, according to South African media. A woman who answered the telephone at The VIP Room, the club where the incident occurred, said club owner Chris Coutroulis was "overseas" and was awaiting reports from club staff who witnessed the altercation. The club website says it caters to the "nouveau riche" and invites guests to "slip on your diamante dancing shoes or designer suit and dance the night away at the most ostentatious venue in Joburg." On Monday, several quotations appeared on Pistorius Twitter account. They included the biblical verse "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted," as well as a prayer, "Lord, today I ask that you bathe those who live in pain in the river of your healing. Amen." Another tweet shows photos of Pistorius with disabled and other children and a caption about "the ability to make a difference in someones life." Burgess, the Pistorius family spokeswoman, said she was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the tweets. He last tweeted on Feb. 14, the first anniversary of Steenkamps death. Pistorius, who says he killed Steenkamp after thinking an intruder was about to attack him, faces 25 years to life in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder. He could also be sentenced to a shorter prison term if convicted of murder without premeditation or negligent killing. Additionally, he faces separate gun-related charges. ' ' '