Nationals at Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are finally streaking in the right direction and have a chance to reach .500 by the All-Star break if they can keep up the momentum. The Cardinals just got through taking a series from one of the best teams in the National League and will try to turn that trick again when they host the NL East-leading Washington Nationals in the opener of a three-game series on Friday.
St. Louis (37-41) is beginning a 10-game homestand that takes it into the All-Star break and comes home after taking two of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks, with the lone loss coming in extra innings on Tuesday. The Cardinals, who host sub-.500 Miami and the New York Mets after finishing up with Washington, broke out the bats with three runs in the seventh inning and five more in the eighth during Thursday afternoon's 10-4 triumph. That late-inning clout is something the Nationals don't need to see after watching the bullpen blow yet another lead on Thursday, when Blake Treinen surrendered three runs in the ninth as the Nationals fell 5-4 to the Chicago Cubs. Tanner Roark will try to keep it out of the bullpen's hands when he takes the mound for Washington on Friday opposite Cardinals righty Mike Leake.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, MLB Network, MASN 2 (Washington), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Tanner Roark (6-5, 5.15 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Mike Leake (5-6, 3.12)
Roark is trying to snap a four-start winless streak and is coming off a loss to Cincinnati in which he surrendered six runs and nine hits in six innings. The 30-year-old was knocked around for a total of 19 runs and 24 hits in 13 2/3 innings over his last three outings. Roark managed a win without being particularly sharp against St. Louis on April 10, when he was charged with five runs - three earned - and seven hits in five frames.
Leake enters the contest riding a string of six straight winless starts, though he managed a quality start in a no-decision against Pittsburgh on Sunday while allowing three earned runs and six hits in six innings. The Arizona State product owned an ERA of 1.91 after going eight strong innings in a win at the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 24 but watched that number increase by over a run in the last month. Leake breezed past Washington on April 12, scattering four hits without a walk in seven scoreless frames.
WALK-OFFS
1. Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon is 5-for-10 with two home runs and five runs scored in the last three games.
2. St. Louis OF Randal Grichuk owns three homers and nine RBIs in five games since being recalled from the minors.
3. Washington SS Trea Turner owns 22 steals in June, the most in a month since Jose Reyes stole 23 in Aug. 2007.