*Photo from KMOX Radio*
Marcell Ozuna drove in 4 runs, threw a runner out at home plate, and the St.Louis Cardinals maintained their two game NL central lead with a 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals Monday night. The loss for Washington means that the Chicago Cubs are now just 1/2 games behind of the first wild card spot in the NL, putting the Nats in a dangerous spot with around two weeks left in the regular season.
The Cardinals jumped ahead in the first inning thanks to a two run homer to center field by Ozuna. In the 4th inning, Victor Robles got the Nats on the board with an RBI single to left field. In the 6th, MVP candidate Anthony Rendon hit a solo homer to left field to tie the game at two. It stayed that way until the bottom of the 7th, when Ozuna hit a two run ground-rule double to left field to put St.Louis ahead for good.
Nats manager Dave Martinez missed the game due to undergoing heart surgery in Washington, leaving Chip Hale to manage the team. Nats starter Stephen Strasburg went 5 innings, giving up two runs on 3 hits and 4 walks. Sean Doolittle got the loss for Washington, giving up one run on one hit and one walk over 2/3 of an inning. Doolittle walked Dexter Fowler with one out in the 7th, then Hunter Strickland walked Paul Goldschmidt, setting the stage for Ozuna's two run double. Hale said that ''He just missed with his pitch, he just sort of pulled it across the plate, and Ozuna did a nice job.''
Dakota Hudson won for the 6th time in his last 7 starts for the Cardinals, going 7 innings and giving up two runs on 5 hits and two walks. John Brebbia, Andrew Miller, and Carlos Martinez threw a perfect game after Hudson was pulled. Hudson said that ''I didn't have very much tonight, the ball was moving a lot, but I didn't have the best command. I had to battle with what I had.'' Martinez needed just two pitches to get his 20th save of the season. He recently was released from a St.Louis hospital following respiratory problems caused by seasonal allergies and asthma.
The series will continue Tuesday, where the Nats hope to keep the first wild card spot by starting lefty Patrick Corbin. Corbin is 1-2 in his career against St.Louis, with his only win coming in 2016 when he pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Miles Mikolas will get the start for the Cardinals. Mikolas beat the Nats the last time he faced them, on May 1.
Comments
Post a Comment