Gorman, Burleson lead Cardinals over Nationals 9-6 for doubleheader split

Updated Jul. 16, 2023 12:42 a.m. ET

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Gorman hit a two-run double to break a fifth-inning tie, Alec Burleson homered and robbed Joey Meneses of a three-run drive and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 9-6 on Saturday night for a doubleheader split.

Lane Thomas’ 10th-inning single led Washington to a 7-5 win in the opener.

St. Louis had a season-high 17 hits in the night game, opening a 4-0 lead in the second inning before Washington tied the score. Gorman doubled off Amos Willingham (0-1) and scored on Paul DeJong’s single for a 7-4 lead.

“Everybody had a piece of this win,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “It was good to see the at-bats.”

In a game that started after a 65-minute rain delay, Burleson homered in the second inning and had three hits. He leaped at the left-field wall in the fifth, holding Meneses to a tying sacrifice fly.

“It’s better to be in a tie game than two runs down,” Burleson said. "Any kind of web gem is, you know, a momentum shift.”

Dakota Hudson, who gave up Meneses' drive, was among the players who greeted Burleson after the catch.

“As soon as he made that play, I told him like, ‘I got to throw a shutout now,’” Hudson said. “That’s good defense. That’s what I know is Cardinals baseball.”

St. Louis rookie right fielder Jordan Walker sprinted toward the infield to make a sprawling catch that denied Riley Adams in the eighth.

“I don’t even know if I can reach that ball he caught. He’s just taller,” Burleson said jokingly. “I know the crowd seemed like his catch better.”

Hudson (1-0) allowed four hits in 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Nolan Arenado homered in the eighth.

“What Dak did was impressive,” Marmol said. “He pounded the zone, mixed all his pitches, didn’t walk anybody. It’s exactly what we needed out of him to be able to get to the end there.”

CJ Abrams scored a season-high three runs in the opener and Meneses had two RBIs in a game that was suspended by rain in the third inning on Friday night.

Cardinals starter Steven Matz gave up four runs, four hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. He is 0-7 in 12 starts and eight relief appearances this year.

Alex Call and Abrams hit solo homers and Ildemaro Vargas had a two-run double.

Nationals starter Jake Irvin allowed four runs and six hits over three innings, throwing 79 pitches.

“He had almost 80 pitches in three innings and he’s part of a good future ahead of us and I thought that was good enough for him,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “And then try to put things together in a double header like that its tough. We hung in there for a little bit and they came back and scored some runs on us.”

In the first game, Thomas broke a 5-5 tie with his single off Jordan Hicks.

Kyle Finnegan (4-3) pitched two innings for the win and Hunter Harvey got his ninth save in 14 chances.

Brendan Donovan hit a three-run homer off Corey Abbott in the fifth, and Willson Contreras tied the game 5-5 with a solo homer off Kyle Finnegan in the eighth.

ROSTER MOVES

St. Louis recalled RHP James Naile from Triple-A Memphis and the Nationals recalled utilityman Jake Alu from Triple-A Rochester as their 27th men.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: 3B Jeimer Candelario did not play after bruising a bone in his right thumb Friday night.

Cardinals: OF Tyler O’Neill (left lower back strain) is playing three-straight games at Triple-A Memphis and could return next week. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout Saturday after going 2 for 4 Friday.

UP NEXT

St. Louis RHP Jack Flaherty (6-5, 4.27 ERA) starts Sunday against Nationals RHP Josiah Gray (6-7, 3.41 ERA). Flaherty has not given up a run over 12 2/3 innings in his last two starts. Gray pitched a scoreless inning in Tuesday’s All-Star Game and has a 2.20 ERA and 20 strikeouts in his last three starts.

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