Washington Nationals Bryce Harper slides past the late tag by St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina for a run in the first inning at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on August 31, 2015.  Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Washington Nationals Bryce Harper slides past the late tag by St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina for a run in the first inning at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on August 31, 2015. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Jason Heyward hit a two-run, tie-breaking double in the seventh inning to key a five-run rally for St. Louis. The Cardinals won for the eighth time in nine games and moved five games ahead of idle Pittsburgh in the NL Central.

The Cardinals sent 10 batters to the plate in the seventh and erased a 5-3 deficit with five two-out runs. Stephen Piscotty and Jhonny Peralta had RBI hits off Casey Janssen (1-3) to tie the game. Felipe Rivero gave up the double to Heyward.

Kevin Siegrist (6-1) picked up the win despite allowing three runs in the seventh. Trevor Rosenthal recorded his 42nd save.

Ryan Zimmerman hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs for the Nationals.