Torrid Cardinals beat Nationals for eighth straight win

Miles Mikolas threw 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball, while Lars Nootbaar, Nolan Arenado and William Contreras homered as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals posted a 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Mikolas (2-2) allowed just four hits, while striking out five and walking one, before the Cardinals' bullpen combined to throw 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief. St. Louis swept the three-game weekend series by a 20-3 count and also won its eighth straight game - its longest streak since winning eight in a row in August 2022.

MacKenzie Gore (2-4) allowed four runs on five hits across 6 2/3 innings, while striking out seven and walking three. Nathaniel Lowe's solo home run accounted for the only Nationals' run. CJ Abrams tallied three hits for Washington, which dropped its fifth in a row.

Nootbaar began the game with his sixth homer of the season - a 382-foot shot to right - to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead.

Contreras then launched his sixth homer of the year to begin the second to double the Cardinals' advantage.

Washington cut its deficit in half in the fourth, as Lowe's two-out solo homer put the Nationals on the board off Mikolas.

Abrams singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth, before Alex Call advanced the Washington shortstop to second with a sacrifice bunt. Steven Matz then replaced Mikolas, throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Arenado's double and Ivan Herrera's one-out walk in the seventh were followed by Yohel Pozo's RBI single. After Jordan Walker's flyout, Andrew Chafin relieved Gore. St. Louis added a fourth run as Victor Scott II's RBI single scored Herrera to extend the lead to 4-1.

Brad Lord threw the eighth for Washington, allowing Masyn Winn's walk and Arenado's two-run homer - his fourth of the season.

John King pitched the ninth for the Cardinals, retiring James Wood and Lowe on groundouts, before striking out Josh Bell to secure the win.

--Field Level Media