Tuesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 7, Nationals 6 (10 innings)
By Rob Rains
Jordan Walker has been almost the only Cardinal who has enjoyed the season-opening road trip but a few of his teammates finally got a chance to smile on Tuesday night.
Walker hit his third home run in the first five games of the trip before Nathan Church, Thomas Saggese and JJ Wetherholt came up with big hits that keyed another comeback victory.
The Cardinals trailed 5-2 before Walker homered in the seventh, then Church broke an 0-of-22 slump with a two-run homer in the eighth that tied the game, and Saggese and Wetherholt delivered RBI doubles in the 10th that lifted the Cardinals to the win over the Nationals in Washington.
The win was only the second in the first five games of the trip to Detroit and Washington and also marked the fifth time in their six wins this season the Cardinals picked up a victory after trailing earlier in the game.
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, getting an RBI single from Alec Burleson, but then didn’t score again until Walker’s homer with two outs in the seventh … Church, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh, came up with two outs in the eighth and launched his game-tying homer … In the 10th, Saggese led off with a double that drove in the automatic runner from second and Wetherholt brought him home with a two-out double … Wetherholt has reached base in all 10 games that he has started to begin his career … The Cardinals drew 10 walks in the game but only two of them came around to score … Nolan Gorman had three of the Cardinals’ nine hits.
On the mound: Matthew Liberatore was only able to complete five innings. None of the starters on this trip has thrown a pitch in the sixth inning. He allowed nine hits, including two home runs and left with the Cardinals losing 4-2 … The Nationals picked up another run in the sixth off Gordon Graceffo, following a two-run walk, but then Graceffo worked a scoreless seventh, George Soriano worked two scoreless innings and Riley O’Brien allowed a run in the 10th on a wild pitch, but got the game-ending strikeout to strand the tying runner at third.
Key stat: The Nationals stole five bases in the game, matching the total the Cardinals had allowed in the first 10 games of the season.
Worth noting: In the five games on the road trip, Cardinals starters have worked a total of 24 innings while the bullpen has had to cover 20 innings … The Cardinals completed a minor-league trade on Tuesday, sending left-handed reliever Nick Raquet to the Orioles for outfielder Brayden Smith, who was assigned to Peoria. Raquet had been pitching at Memphis when he was designated for assignment … In his rehab start Tuesday night at Memphis, Hunter Dobbins allowed one run and struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings at Charlotte … Jimmy Crooks hit his fourth home run.
Up next: Michael McGreevy will get the start in the final game of the road trip on Wednesday. Former Cardinal Miles Mikolas is scheduled to start for the Nationals.
Follow Rob Rains on X @RobRains
