Brendan Donovan launched a two-run homer to help lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-2 win over the visiting Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.
Lars Nootbaar added a solo shot for St. Louis in a contest that saw a 2-hour, 19-minute rain delay.
The Cardinals notched just their second victory in their last seven games, while the Nationals dropped their fourth straight.
St. Louis starter Sonny Gray (9-3) gave up two runs on five hits across five innings, striking out six and walking one.
The Cardinals’ bullpen was sharp, with Steven Matz, Phil Maton, JoJo Romero, and Ryan Helsley each delivering a scoreless inning. Helsley earned his 18th save of the season.
Nationals starter Jake Irvin (7-4) surrendered four runs on six hits and four walks over six innings, striking out three.
Washington struck first in the third inning, taking a 2-0 lead. Jacob Young walked, advanced to third on CJ Abrams’ single, and came home on a James Wood RBI single. Luis Garcia Jr. added a second run with a fielder’s choice grounder.
St. Louis responded in the bottom of the third, seizing a 3-2 lead with four consecutive hits. Victor Scott II led off with a double, followed by Donovan’s homer. Masyn Winn then singled and later scored on Alec Burleson’s double.
Gray worked out of trouble in the fourth after Josh Bell’s leadoff double and Daylen Lile’s one-out single, inducing a double play from Riley Adams to end the threat.
In the sixth, Matz came on and neutralized another Nationals rally, getting Brady House to ground into an inning-ending double play after a single and a walk.