Final
Nats, Cards wrap set at Busch
Apr 21, 2011 - 2:41 PM (Sports Network) - After a tightly-contested doubleheader that saw the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals battle to a split, the two teams will conclude a three-game series this afternoon with a more traditional meeting at Busch Stadium.After Tuesday's opener was rained out, the clubs opened this set on Wednesday afternoon and combined for 24 hits in the Nationals' 8-6 victory. The offense slowed down a bit in the nightcap, with the Cardinals walking away with a 5-3 triumph.
It marked Washington's second straight doubleheader. It swept Milwaukee over the weekend by taking both games of a twinbill on Sunday, then snapped an eight-game slide at Busch Stadium by taking the first game on Tuesday. Ian Desmond and Laynce Nix both drove in two runs for the Nationals, with Nix hitting a solo homer in the eighth inning.
Albert Pujols and Colby Rasmus homered for the Cardinals in the first game, while Lance Berkman led the charge in the second game with three hits and a pair of RBI. Berkman and Yadier Molina put St. Louis ahead for good in the nightcap with back-to-back run-scoring singles in the fifth inning.
Mitchell Boggs then capped the bullpen's effort of four scoreless innings by earning his first career save, giving the Cardinals' their seventh victory in 10 games.
"As a starting pitcher you try to go six, seven or more (innings)," said St. Louis hurler Jamie Garcia, who pitched five-plus innings in the second game and yielded three runs, one earned. "Anytime your bullpen goes four innings without giving up a run that's huge."
Cards manager Tony La Russa opted to go with Boggs in the ninth inning after removing Ryan Franklin from the closer role on Tuesday. Franklin has blown four of his five save chances this season.
With starter John Lannan throwing five-plus innings in the first game and Jordan Zimmermann going six frames in the second contest, Washington remains the only club in the majors to have its starters go at least five innings in every game so far this season. Tom Gorzelanny will try to keep that run intact in his third start of the season this afternoon.
Gorzelanny took a loss in his first outing on April 9, yielding five earned runs over 5 1/3 innings, but pitched much better on Friday versus Milwaukee. He was charged with two runs over six innings of a no-decision, lowering his earned run average on the season from 8.44 to 5.56.
The 28-year-old is 2-4 with a 4.98 ERA in eight career starts against the Cardinals and will try to slow down Berkman, who is hitting .452 (14-for-31) over his past eight games with six homers and 14 RBI. He is 3-for-10 with a pair of RBI versus Gorzelanny and a career .352 batter against the Nats.
Drawing the start for the Cardinals is Kyle Lohse, who has won back-to-back starts at the Giants and Dodgers after losing his season debut on April 4. Lohse has given up just three runs in that span, including two over 7 1/3 innings versus Los Angeles while striking out six to reach 1,000 in his career.
"I didn't have my best changeup, but overall I felt pretty good," Lohse said. "I was able to hit my spots. One thousand strikeouts, it feels pretty good. It's a good feeling to be able to be out there long enough to get it."
The 32-year-old righty has faced the Nationals franchise 10 times in his career, eight of those starts, and is 3-2 against them with a 5.72 ERA.
Washington and St. Louis split six matchups a year ago.
- WASHINGTON: 0
ST. LOUIS: 5
Final
Apr 21 4:08 PM - David Freese doubled to left center scored Matt Holliday. Runner on second with none out and Yadier Molina due up.
Nationals 0, Cardinals 5 Bot 8, 0 OutsApr 21 3:52 PM - Albert Pujols none-out, two-run Home Run (6) to left scored Colby Rasmus. Matt Holliday due up.
Nationals 0, Cardinals 4 Bot 8, 0 OutsApr 21 3:47 PM - Matt Holliday two-out, two-run Home Run (2) to left scored Albert Pujols. David Freese due up.
Nationals 0, Cardinals 2 Bot 1, 2 OutsApr 21 1:57 PM - WASHINGTON: 0
ST. LOUIS: 0
Top 1, 0 Outs
Apr 21 1:45 PM
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