The Washington Nationals scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 8 th inning to snap a 3-3 tie, then held the Cardinals scoreless in the 9 th , as the Nats completed a sweep of a weekend series with St. Louis, winning 6-3 Sunday afternoon at RFK Stadium in the Nation’s Capital.
The Redbirds managed 8 hits on the day, including a pair of home runs. Ryan Ludwick belted his 8th, while Adam Wainwright hit his 1 st . Wainwright, the starting pitcher, was not involved in the decision. He pitched 7 innings, giving up 3 earned runs on 8 hits.
Washington reliever Ray King (1-0) pitched a perfect 2/3 of an inning to earn the win, Chad Cordero tossed a perfect inning to pick up his 23 rd save. Ryan Franklin (4-2) allowed 3 earned runs on 4 hits in 1 inning to take the loss.
The Cardinals (50-58) have now lost 5 games in a row. They head home to open a four game series with the San Diego Padres Monday night at Busch Stadium. Braden Looper (8-9) goes to the mound for the Redbirds against San Diego’s David Wells (5-7).