ST. LOUIS _ As Austin Gomber walked off the mound following his sixth inning of work, Yadier Molina draped his arm around the lefty's shoulder and patted his head. The rookie had done his job, hurling six scoreless innings and propelling the Cardinals to a 4-2 win.
Marcell Ozuna got the Cardinals off to a scorching start in the second inning, roping a home run to left field. The ball came off his bat at 114 mph, according to Statcast.
Gomber struck out six Nationals and lowered his ERA to 2.89. He also helped lead a Cardinals rally at the plate in the fifth, bunting Harrison Bader to third after the center fielder doubled. The Nationals chose to intentionally walk Matt Carpenter, bringing the first baseman's on-base streak to 33 games, and Bader scored on a wild pitch from Jeremy Hellickson. Molina brought in Carpenter with a single.
The bottom of the Cardinals' batting order continued to flourish an inning later. No. 7 hitter Kolten Wong singled and stole second, and Bader brought him home with a single. Bader also made a diving catch in the fourth inning, saving a run.
Daniel Poncedeleon hurled two relief innings for the Cardinals and allowed two earned runs. Bud Norris notched the save after missing Tuesday's game with hip soreness.
The Cardinals victory was soured by a potential injury. Nationals pitcher Matt Grace hit Carpenter's right hand with a pitch, and the first baseman left the game for precautionary reasons. X-rays came back negative, the Cardinals announced.
The win gives Cardinals their sixth-consecutive series victory.
