ST. LOUIS _ Marcell Ozuna drove in four runs with a home run and double and threw a Washington runner out at the plate Monday night as the Cardinals defeated the Nationals 4-2 at Busch Stadium.
Ozuna hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a two-run double in the seventh to break a tie and make a winner of Dakota Hudson (16-7), who worked seven innings, allowing five hits.
The left fielder also robbed the Nationals of a run when he made a perfect throw to catcher Yadier Molina to get Asdrubal Cabrera trying to score from second on a single.
Carlos Martinez, who missed Sunday's game with a respiratory condition, returned and recorded the final out for his 20th save after Andrew Miller pitched 1 1/3 innings and John Brebbia 1/3 without incident.
Ozuna entered the game in a 7-for-62 slump, but he had previous success against Washington starter Stephen Strasburg. That showed in the first when he drilled a line drive into the left-center field bleachers after Dexter Fowler opened the game with a walk.
Fowler has been on a binge of walks, and he earned his 10th in six games to lead off the seventh. Paul Goldschmidt also walked with one out, and the runners moved to second and third on a wild pitch.
Ozuna lined a pitch from Hunter Strickland less than a foot inside the foul line in left field, and it bounced into the stands on two hops, allowing both runners to score.
Washington scored one in the fourth and one in the sixth.
Hudson had been rolling along and recorded the first two outs of the fourth before he walked Juan Soto, allowed a single by Cabrera and walked Ryan Zimmerman. Victor Robles then singled to left, scoring Soto but Ozuna cut down the potential tying run.
The Nationals other run against Hudson came on a solo homer by Anthony Rendon, his 34th of the season, to lead off the sixth.
