Washington, DC - Dmitri Young hit a two-run double in the eighth, as the Washington Nationals put up three in the inning to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-3, in the finale of a three-game series at RFK Stadium.
Young ended with three RBI and Nook Logan scored and drove in a run for the Nationals, who went a perfect 6-0 on their homestand by sweeping both the Cardinals and the Reds.
Matt Chico yielded three runs on six hits over five innings of work. The bullpen shut down the St. Louis offense from there, with Ray King (1-0) recording the win and Chad Cordero tossing a perfect ninth for his 23rd save of the year.
Adam Wainwright pitched seven decent innings — allowing three runs on eight hits — and also hit his second career home run for St. Louis, which has dropped five in a row.
Logan started the eighth with a bunt single, and was knocked in later in the frame on Ryan Zimmerman’s base hit. That put runners on first and second for Young, who cleared the bases with a double to left.
That was more than enough cushion for Cordero.
Ryan Ludwick opened up the scoring in the second with a leadoff homer, his eighth long ball of the season.
Washington countered in the bottom of the frame courtesy of Chico’s RBI single, and added two more in the third. Zimmerman and Young hit back-to-back doubles to put the Nationals in front, and Logan’s base hit later in the frame made it 3-1.
Wainwright helped his own cause with a solo homer in the fourth, and Jim Edmonds knocked in Albert Pujols with a double in the fifth to pull the Cardinals even.
Game Notes
Nationals shortstop Felipe Lopez left in the sixth inning because of patella tendinitis in his right knee. He is considered as day-to-day…St. Louis manager Tony La Russa was ejected in the fifth for arguing balls and strikes…Washington stranded 11 runners, while St. Louis left eight men on base.
