Left-hander Marco Gonzales strengthened his bid for a spot in the St. Louis rotation by allowing one hit over four scoreless innings in the Cardinals' 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. Gonzales, who didn't give up a run over two innings in his first spring start, struck out three and walked one. ''That was outstanding,'' Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. ''I was fortunate to keep the ball down, have some low counts and get some quick outs.'' A first-round draft choice in 2013, Gonzales came up to the Cardinals late last year and won twice in relief during the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.