Cardinals rally against Nationals' struggling bullpen for 7-6 victory in
10 innings
[April 08, 2026]
By PATRICK STEVENS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thomas Saggese hit a go-ahead double
in the 10th inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied for a 7-6 win
over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.
Nathan Church and Jordan Walker homered for St. Louis. The Cardinals
scored five runs against the Nationals’ scuffling bullpen, which entered
the day ranked 28th in the majors with a 6.34 ERA. |
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore throws during the first
inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Tuesday,
April 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.) |
|
James Wood homered for a third consecutive game for the first
time in his career for Washington, which has dropped six of
seven.
Saggese laced Cole Henry’s sweeper to center to score automatic
runner Masyn Winn to lead off the 10th. Three batters later, JJ
Wetherholt doubled to right off Henry (0-2) to score Saggese.
George Soriano (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings. Riley
O’Brien allowed automatic runner Daylen Lile to score on a wild
pitch but struck out Nasim Nuñez on the next pitch to earn his
third save.
Walker’s solo shot off PJ Poulin in the seventh pulled the
Cardinals within 5-3. Nationals reliever Gus Varland nearly
worked around a leadoff walk in the eighth, but Church ripped a
1-2 slider into the Washington bullpen in right to tie it.
It was Church’s first extra-base hit in 27 at bats. He entered
the game with a .115 average and a .264 OPS.
Wood scored on Lile’s RBI single in the first, then led off the
third with an opposite-field blast into the visitor’s bullpen in
left to tie it at 2-all.
Curtis Mead gave the Nationals the lead with a one-out shot to
left-center in the fifth, and CJ Abrams made it 4-2 with a
run-scoring single to right. Mead added an RBI single in the
sixth.
Nationals starter Cade Cavalli allowed two runs in 4 2/3
innings. The Cardinals’ Matthew Liberatore allowed four runs in
five innings.
Up next
Washington RHP Miles Mikolas (0-2, 14.46 ERA) faces his old team
for the first time in Wednesday’s series finale. RHP Michael
McGreevy (0-1, 2.53) starts for St. Louis.
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