ST. LOUIS — The second half of the season is off to a nice start for Nolan Gorman – right when he needed it.
Gorman had three hits, including a home run, to help the Cardinals beat the Nationals on Sunday at Busch Stadium.
The first half did not end well for Gorman. In his final 34 games, including 30 starts, before the All-Star break, Gorman was just 17-of-116, a .147 average, and struck out 49 times.
His three-hit game on Sunday, which tied his season high, followed a two-hit game in the night game of Saturday’s doubleheader. It’s the first time Gorman has had consecutive multi-hit games since April 2-3.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Gorman’s single leading off the fourth was the first of four consecutive singles by the Cardinals, leading to a three-run inning … He hit his 18th homer of the year in the fifth and Paul Goldschmidt followed with a two-run homer in a four-run sixth inning, capped by Gorman’s second RBI and third hit of the game … Their 13 hits gave the Cardinals a total of 30 hits in the two wins over the Nationals on Saturday night and Sunday.
On the mound: Jack Flaherty saw his streak of not allowing a home run end after 56 innings in the second but he got the win, allowing three runs over six innings. He walked three and struck out seven … The Nationals’ fourth run scored off reliever Kyle Leahy.
Key stat: The Cardinals had been 0-of-8 with runners in scoring position, leaving six runners on base, through the first three innings. They were 4-of-9 after Andrew Knizner’s RBI single in the fourth.
Worth noting: Knizner was activated from the injured list before the game and Luken Baker was optioned to Memphis. The Cardinals decided to keep Ivan Herrera on the roster as a third catcher … With Knizner starting behind the plate, it marked the third consecutive game in which the Cardinals had a different starting catcher … Lars Nootbaar’s single in the third inning extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals welcome the Miami Marlins to town on Monday night for the start of a three-game series. Miles Mikolas, who had his start on Friday night stopped after 34 pitches because of rain, will get the start.
