WASHINGTON — Playing five games in a row against a lefthanded starter seemed like an imposing challenge for the Cardinals, who have struggled in those matchups for much of the season.
Now that the five-game stretch is over, however, it worked out better than the Cardinals might have expected.
The Cardinals picked up their fourth win in those five games on Monday, getting 6 1/3 innings from Miles Mikolas in the victory over the Nationals in Washington, D.C.
Paul Goldschmidt hit his second home run against a lefthander in 89 at-bats and Alec Burleson also homered and drove in three runs.
It was the fourth consecutive game scoring six or more runs for the Cardinals, their longest streak since they also did it six games in a row in 2019. They did it for seven consecutive games in 2017.
The win improved the Cardinals’ record to 48-42, getting to six games above .500 for the first time this season. They won three of the four games in Washington to wrap up a 5-2 road trip after winning two of three games in Pittsburgh.
Here is how Monday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Goldschmidt’s homer, his 12th of the season, gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead in the fourth. They scored the first run in the third on two infield hits and a throwing error … Burleson hit his 14th homer of the year leading off the eighth before Brendan Donovan’s double drove in Goldschmidt, who reached on an error … Two insurance runs in the ninth increased the lead to 6-0, both scoring on a single by Burleson … Nolan Gorman had two singles and scored twice, his fourth consecutive multi-hit game.
On the mound: Mikolas was able to keep the Nationals from scoring thanks in part to two running catches at the wall by Michael Siani. Mikolas scattered six hits, did not walk a batter and struck out three in his 6 1/3 innings … Andrew Kittredge and JoJo Romero completed the Cardinals’ sixth shutout of the season.
Key stat: In the five games against lefthanded starters, the Cardinals were a combined 29-of-101 against those starters, a .287 average.
Worth noting: Including Goldschmidt’s homer, the Cardinals have now hit 19 home runs against lefthanded pitchers in 944 at-bats this season while compiling a combined .224 average … Lars Nootbaar was activated from the injured list before the game and made his first start since May 29, when he suffered a oblique injury. Nootbaar had one single in four at-bats … To make room for Nootbaar on the roster, Jose Fermin was optioned to Memphis … Tommy Edman is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday night in Springfield, which will be his first game of the season following last October’s surgery on his right wrist.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals return home to play the first of two games against the Royals on Tuesday night. Andre Pallante is the scheduled starter.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
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