Wainwright Works 8 Strong Innings As Cardinals Beat Nationals
By R.B. FALLSTROM | Associated Press | Apr 5, 08 3:19 PM CDT in
Sports
Adam Wainwright completed a dominating first time around for the St. Louis Cardinals' injury-depleted rotation, working eight strong innings in a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday.
Yadier Molina had two hits and two RBIs and Wainwright also drove in a run from the eighth spot in the lineup, where manager Tony La Russa is again placing his pitcher. The Cardinals' 4-1 start is their best since 2000, when they also won four of their first five.
Nick Johnson was 3-for-4 with his first home run and two RBIs for Washington, and Jesus Flores' two-run shot off Anthony Reyes cut the deficit to a run in the ninth. Randy Flores came in and made one pitch, getting Cristian Guzman to fly out, for his first save of the season and fourth of his career.
The Nationals have lost three in a row after sweeping the Phillies to open the year.
Matt Chico (0-1) allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings, all but one of them coming in a two-run second and two-run third, with a bases-loaded passed ball by Jesus Flores resulting in an insurance run in the eighth.
Cardinals starters have allowed four runs in 30 2-3 innings, an 0.88 ERA. And four St. Louis pitchers _ Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, Joel Pineiro and Matt Clement _ started the year on the 15-day disabled list.
Wainwright (1-0), whose opening day start was wiped out by rain while leading the Rockies 5-1 in the bottom of the third on Monday, allowed two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
His crucial inning was the fourth, when the Nationals bunched three hits and a walk. Wainwright held them to a run when he recovered from a 3-1 count to get Jesus Flores on a bases-loaded groundout for the final out.
St. Louis second baseman Adam Kennedy made the defensive play of the game with a lunging stop on Austin Kearns' smash up the middle, followed by a flip from his back to shortstop Cesar Izturis, for a forceout in the fourth.
Chris Duncan, who missed three games for the Cardinals with a strained left hamstring, walked as a pinch hitter in the eighth.
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