ATLANTA -- One hundred sixteen pitches into his first afternoon on the postseason stage, Jack Flaherty reached back for one last slider. He’d already thrown 48 across 6 2/3 innings, which he spent dueling with Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz. None had betrayed him. But a handful of fastballs had; they were directly responsible for the three-run deficit Flaherty and the Cardinals suddenly found themselves in.

The most consequential was a 3-2 four-seamer that, two batters prior, Adam Duvall sent sizzling 423 feet through the Georgia heat. The pinch-hit two-run homer came on Flaherty’s 105th pitch, significantly altering the complexion of Game 2 of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park. The Braves went up by the 3-0 margin they’d even the series with. But Flaherty remained.

“At that point,” Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. “He earned the right to walk off the field.”

That Flaherty was given the chance to finish the inning -- using that slider to strike out Ozzie Albies and strand a potential additional run at third -- speaks to the outsized standing he holds in St. Louis’ October dreams. It also said a lot about how he’d pitched up to the moment Friday in his playoff debut, despite how it ended.

“I thought all my stuff was good,” Flaherty said. “It really came down to two pitches.”

They were Duvall’s homer and the 2-1 two-seamer Josh Donaldson tagged for an RBI single in the first. Besides that, Flaherty was brilliant: seven innings, three runs and eight strikeouts against one walk. He held the Braves to one manufactured run over the first six innings, before Duvall stepped into the box for Foltynewicz in the seventh.

“[He was] everything I watched on video,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I mean, this kid is something special. He’s a horse. That’s a number one guy right there.”

The problem Friday was Foltynewicz was simply better, striking out seven over seven scoreless innings before Max Fried and Mark Melancon handled the final six outs. Like Flaherty, Foltynewicz threw more than 40 percent sliders. He allowed two harmless singles on the pitch. The Cardinals brought just one runner to scoring position over the first eight frames against Foltynewicz and Fried.

“Folty had the performance of his year so far,” Flaherty said. “That’s the best he’s been. Hats off to him. Hats off to Max. He came in, and one of these days I’m sure he’ll give up a run.”

It’s a sentiment opponents have been expressing for months about Flaherty, who emerged as one of the Majors’ top starters down the stretch. The three runs Flaherty allowed Friday tied for his most since July 2, a span of 16 starts. That they resulted in a loss sent the Cardinals back to St. Louis with a split of the first two games of this best-of-five series, missing a chance to take a commanding lead behind their ace.

That Shildt pushed Flaherty to 117 pitches virtually eliminates the chances of him appearing again before Game 5, which he’d start if necessary. That would be a winner-take-all, all-hands-on-deck effort led by Flaherty, who finished the year with a 0.93 ERA over his last 16 starts.

“I’d rather win it in four,” Flaherty said. “I [couldn’t] care less about pitching again. If it comes down to it, it comes down to it.”