The St. Louis Cardinals flew into Washington, D.C. and swept the Nationals with a 4-2 victory Wednesday afternoon.
The Cardinals faced Nationals’ ace Stephen Strasburg and gave him problems from the start. Matt Carpenter started the game with a double and Matt Holliday followed with a single for St. Louis. Strasburg walked Carlos Beltran, loading the bases, and Yadier Molina sent a single to right field, driving in Carpenter and Holliday. Beltran scored on the following play because of a throwing error by Anthony Rendon.
A 3-0 lead was a great start for Jaime Garcia, who only pitched three innings in his previous start for St. Louis. Unlike Strasburg, Garcia only allowed two base runners in the first five innings. The Nationals did not strike until the sixth, when Garcia gave up consecutive singles, which led to a run scored. Joe Kelly and Trevor Rosenthal came in relief and Edwards Mujica saved the day for the Cardinals.
St. Louis starters Garcia, Shelby Miller, and Lance Lynn were considered the weak links in the rotation, but all three have hushed the critics. They have winning records and ERAs under 4.00.
The Cardinals now return home to play the Pittsburgh Pirates for a weekend series.
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