Lance Lynn gave up six runs (only four earned) in five innings, including three homers, as the Cardinals lost 8-3 to the Washington Nationals in D.C. Randal Grichuk and Aledmys Diaz homered for St. Louis, which has dropped three straight.
The Cardinals couldn’t get Daniel Murphy out, Washington’s cleanup hitter. He went 4-for-5 with a homer and five runs driven, singling in two with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third to make it a 2-1 game. Grichuk homered to knot the game at 2-2 in the fourth, but Lynn gave up homers to Jayson Werth and Matt Wieters to make it a 4-2 game. After Lynn walked Bryce Harper (three base on balls for the game), Murphy homered to make it 6-2.
A Diaz throwing error led to another Nationals run the seventh and Murphy brought home Harper in the eighth on back-to-back two-out doubles.
The Cardinals bullpen is last in the majors with an 8.14 ERA.
The Cardinals have dropped three in-a-row and six-of-seven to fall to 2-6.
Mike Leake tries to get the final game of this series when he starts the 3:05 CDT game for St. Louis. Washington will start St. Charles native Max Scherzer, the reigning National League Cy Young winner.