WASHINGTON _ There, in the top of the ninth inning, was the breathing room the Cardinals had lacked throughout the series at Nationals Park, delivered with another RBI swing from cleanup hitter Stephen Piscotty.
But the defense and bullpen had already played their part, in the finale.
The two most-turbulent elements of the Cardinals' play were vital to the team's 6-1 victory against Washington on Wednesday. With a two-run game to protect and the tying run on base, lefty Brett Cecil, who has personified the Cardinals' bullpen troubles, got a key out to protect the lead. He needed the help of the defense. Jedd Gyorko, shaded to his left, reached back across his body and snared a line drive to get Harper out.
Instead of tightening or possibly tying the game with a hit to left field, Harper was out and the Cardinals' did what they hadn't all week.
They held a lead for longer than two innings.
In the top of the ninth, Piscotty added a three-run homer to give closer Seung Hwan Oh more room than a save would allow. The home run gave Piscotty five RBIs in the game, and that tied his previous career high for a game. The only run that he did not drive in for the Cardinals came on a sacrifice fly from Matt Carpenter.
The cushion, Cecil's out, and Gyorko's glove made a winner of Mike Leake. The sinkerballer pitched seven shutout innings for his first win of the season. Leake gave up four hits without walking a batter, and struck out seven.
Before Cecil entered the game, Matt Bowman ran his scoreless streak to 14 innings, dating back to last season. He got the needed groundball to unplug the Nationals' biggest threat of the game in the eighth inning. Entering in a setup role, Trevor Rosenthal had caused the unease by allowing three hits and one run in his one-third of an inning.
Washington starter Max Scherzer lasted six innings, allowing four hits, two walks and three runs (one earned) while striking out 10.
The Cardinals now train to New York where they will open an interleague series in the Bronx on Friday.
