Leake, Piscotty power Cardinals past Nationals
WASHINGTON -- Stephen Piscotty had three hits, including a homer, and drove in a career-high five runs and Mike Leake pitched seven scoreless innings as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 6-1 Wednesday, salvaging the finale of the three-game series.
The Nationals scored 22 runs in the first two games of the series, but Leake (1-1) gave up just four hits with seven strikeouts and no walks to lift the Cardinals, who had lost three in a row and six of seven. Leake struck out Jayson Werth for the final out in the seventh with two runners on as the outfielder watched a 92 mile-per-hour fastball catch the outside part of the plate.
Trevor Rosenthal gave up an RBI single in the eighth to Adam Eaton as the Nationals trimmed the lead to 3-1 with one out. Reliever Matt Bowman, from nearby Chevy Chase, Maryland, got one out on a fielder's choice and University of Maryland product Brett Cecil retired Bryce Harper on a liner to third for final out of the frame.
Piscotty then hit a three-run homer in the ninth off Joe Blanton to give the Cards a 6-1 lead.
Losing pitcher Max Scherzer (1-1) allowed three runs (one earned) and four hits with 10 strikeouts in six innings. He struggled with his command, throwing three wild pitches and hitting a batter.
The Cardinals scored two in the fifth to take a 3-0 lead. Matt Carpenter drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and Piscotty had an RBI single to left. Piscotty gave the Cardinal a 1-0 lead in the first as he slammed a 95 mile-per-hour fastball from Scherzer for an RBI double.
Leake had lost his last four decisions against the Nationals and had not won in Washington since his rookie year in 2010.
The Nationals ruined a golden chance in the first. Eaton led off with a double and Anthony Rendon singled him to third, but Rendon was picked off and Leake retired Harper and Daniel Murphy. Eaton and Ryan Zimmerman had two hits.
NOTES: Cardinals 1B Matt Carpenter was back in the lineup after back stiffness kept him out of the starting lineup Tuesday. ... Washington put INF Stephen Drew (right hamstring strain) on the 10-day disabled list and called up INF Grant Green from Triple-A Syracuse. The Nationals will be the fourth major league team for Green, a first-round pick in 2009 by the Oakland A's. ... St. Louis RHP Michael Wacha (1-0, 1.50 ERA) will start on Friday in New York against the Yankees and RHP Masahiro Tanaka (0-1, 11.74 ERA). ... Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 3.21 ERA) will face Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (1-0, 4.50 ERA) on Friday in Washington.