WASHINGTON — Sunday’s Game Report: Cardinals 8, Nationals 3
A trip to Washington, D.C. has seemingly invigorated the Cardinals’ offense.
Willson Contreras hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs while Nolan Gorman and Nolan Arenado each added two RBIs in the Cardinals’ win on Sunday over the Nationals.
The Cardinals have scored six or more runs in the first three games of this four-game series, the first time they have done that in three consecutive games this season. For the three games they have scored a total of 21 runs, collecting 38 hits.
Every Cardinal starter had at least one hit on Sunday and seven batters scored at least one run as the team bounced back from a blowout loss on Saturday.
The Cardinals have lost consecutive games only once since June 5, the back-to-back walk-off losses against the Marlins in Miami. They are 47-42 for the season, tying their season-best record of five games over .500.
Here is how Sunday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Gorman drove in two of the first three runs for the Cardinals with a second-inning double and a single in the fourth, also scoring on a single by Dylan Carlson, all of those hits coming with two outs … In the fifth, the Cardinals turned a walk, a catcher’s interference call and a double steal into three runs on a single by Contreras and a two-out, two-run single by Arenado … Contreras capped the day’s offense with his two-run homer in the seventh, his ninth of the season and third in the last five games.
On the mound: Kyle Gibson pitched into the sixth inning, although he left after allowing the first three batters in the inning to reach base. He gave up three runs on nine hits, walked two and struck out eight … Ryan Fernandez was able to strand the two runners he inherited from Gibson. For the season he has allowed only three of 19 inherited runners to score … John King also stranded two runners he inherited from Fernandez in the seventh before Chris Roycroft recorded the final five outs in the victory.
Key stat: In the six games thus far on the road trip, with one remaining, Gorman has gone 9-of-19 with three doubles, a home run and eight RBIs.
Worth noting: The win was the seventh in a row for the Cardinas on Sunday, a streak that began on May 26 against the Cubs … With a walk and a single, Brendan Donovan extended his on-base streak to 20 consecutive games … Arenado’s two hits left him 8-of-14 in the first three games of the series plus a walk to go along with his seven singles and a double … The five-run win equaled the Cardinals’ second largest victory margin of the season … The Cardinals are now 19-3 when they score six or more runs.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals will complete the series and road trip with a 3:05 p.m. game St. Louis time on Monday. Miles Mikolas is the scheduled starter.
