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Lynn targets fourth win in as many starts

Apr 19, 2014 - 1:41 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Lance Lynn tries for his fourth win in as many starts to begin the season when the right-hander leads the St. Louis Cardinals against the Washington Nationals.

Lynn struck out 11, one shy of a career-best, and threw seven shutout innings in a 4-0 final at Milwaukee. Lynn last faced the Nationals in the 2012 Division Series when he made three relief appearances. His only career start against Washington came on Sept. 30, 2012 in a 10-4 victory. Lynn struck out nine in 5 1/3 innings.

Jordan Zimmermann counters for the Nationals. The righty is coming off his first win of the season on Monday at Miami when he allowed two runs and fanned seven over seven innings. Zimmermann has beaten every NL team except the Cardinals (0-3) and Pirates (one start).

The Nationals scored two runs after a wild pitch in the seventh inning last night to win, 3-1. Anthony Rendon hit a solo homer for Washington and Gio Gonzalez (3-1) struck out seven batters in seven innings, but it was the poor play by St. Louis in the seventh that got the Nationals the win.

"We just have to keep putting our best foot forward," Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond said.

They loaded the bases with no outs after Cardinals starter Michael Wacha fielded Danny Espinosa's bunt and tried to get the lead runner at third, but his hard throw went off Matt Carpenter's glove for an error on the third baseman.

The two runs scored with two outs when Yadier Molina scrambled for Wacha's wild pitch and hurried a throw to his pitcher that skipped into the Cardinals dugout.

The Cardinals made three errors and had an eight-game winning streak against the Nationals snapped.

Wacha (2-1) gave up five hits and also struck out seven in seven innings with no walks.

"It was one of the better-pitched games we've seen from him, and he's thrown some really good ones," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Wacha. "It just didn't work out today."