Wilson Contreras, Cards pull away from Nats

Wilson Contreras hit a two-run home run and drove in three runs as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 8-3 on Sunday.

Nolan Arenado and Nolan Gorman each had two hits and drove in two runs for the Cardinals, who notched 13 hits and have won five of seven.

Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson (7-3) went five innings, allowing three runs on nine hits. He walked two and struck out eight. Three St. Louis relievers combined for four scoreless innings while allowing just two hits.

Washington's Jesse Winker had two doubles and CJ Abrams and Lane Thomas had two hits each. The Nationals collected 11 hits but were short-circuited by three double plays.

Nationals rookie DJ Herz (1-3) lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits. He walked two and fanned four.

Brendan Donovan walked with two outs in the St. Louis second and Gorman followed with an RBI double. Dylan Carlson singled home Gorman to make it 2-0.

Winker doubled leading off the bottom half and scored on a one-out double by Juan Yepez. With two outs, Riley Adams lined a single to right, scoring Yepez with the tying run.

Paul Goldschmidt doubled leading off the top of the fourth and scored the go-ahead run on Gorman's two-out single.

Masyn Winn walked with one out in the Cardinals' fifth. After Alec Burleson reached on catcher interference on Adams, Dylan Floro replaced Herz. Contreras lined a single to center, scoring Goldschmidt. After a double steal and a flyout, Arenado singled to left with two outs, scoring both runners to make it 6-2.

James Wood singled leading off the bottom of the sixth and scored on Winker's double to cut Cardinals lead to 6-3. Luis Garcia Jr. walked with nobody out, but Ryan Fernandez replaced Gibson and got Yepez to ground into a double play before Trey Lipscomb grounded out.

In the seventh, Burleson singled and Contreras homered to left, his ninth of the season, to make it 8-3.

--Field Level Media