Apr 14, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; The St. Louis Cardinals salute catcher Yadier Molina (4) for starting his 2,000 game as catcher for one organization during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Ross threw six scoreless innings, Ryan Zimmerman homered and the visiting Washington Nationals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0 on Wednesday.
Washington took the series 2-1 as the Cardinals were shut out one day after beating the Nationals 14-3.
Ross (1-0) allowed four hits and struck out five with one walk, and a quartet of Washington relievers completed the four-hit shutout.
Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Josh Harrison had two hits each for the Nationals, who finished 2-4 on their road trip.
Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright (0-2) allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits over five innings. He struck out seven and walked two.
Yadier Molina caught his 2,000th game for the Cardinals.
In the third, Soto reached on an infield single and Zimmerman capped a nine-pitch at-bat with a shot to left center for his first home run of the season.
Turner led off the fifth inning with a double. He scored when Lane Thomas misplayed Soto’s single to center, with Soto ending up on third. With two out, Harrison singled to center, scoring Soto to make it 4-0.
The Nationals added a run in the sixth. Ross, batting eighth in the lineup, singled to right field with one out and the Nationals loaded the bases after walks to Victor Robles and Turner. St. Louis reliever Jordan Hicks got Soto to ground into a force at second, but Ross scored as Soto beat the relay to first.
The Cardinals loaded the bases in the seventh on two walks sandwiched around a hit batter, but Tanner Rainey got Tommy Edman to pop out, ending the threat.
Washington added a run in the eighth when pinch-hitter Andrew Stevenson walked, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a bloop double by Turner.
–Field Level Media