Harper, bullpen excel as Nationals end slide
Cardinals’ eight-game win streak halted
ST. LOUIS — Koda Glover rewarded his manager’s faith.
Bryce Harper had three hits and drove in three runs, Glover earned a save in the first opportunity since Ryan Madson was placed on the disabled list, and the Washington Nationals snapped a four-game skid with a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.
The Nationals won for the third time in their past 10 games and snapped the Cardinals’ season-high eight-game win streak.
“We needed a win today,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “Get on that plane, have a nice happy flight and come back tomorrow and be at home and be ready.”
Tanner Roark (8-12) gave up four runs, three earned, in six innings for Washington.
A beleaguered bullpen that had blown two leads to start the slide took care of the rest. Justin Miller pitched two scoreless innings before Glover closed it out.
“There’s been a lot of changes (in the bullpen),” Miller said. “It’s unfortunate, a couple of injuries and stuff like that, but I don’t really look at it as I’ve got the seventh or eighth or anything like that. I’m just going out there just trying to do my job.”
Glover took the loss in the series opener on Monday, giving up a walk-off home run to Paul Dejong.
“The first game of the series didn’t go as I would have liked for it to have went,” Glover said. “So to get put back in that situation or even a better situation to get a save, I’m happy with that outcome.”
Harper drove in the first run with a double in the first and knocked in two more with a bases-loaded single in the fourth to put the Nationals up 4-1.
Two errors helped Washington extend its lead to 5-1 in the fifth. St. Louis committed three errors in the game after committing four total errors during the win streak.
The Nationals had opportunities to pad the lead, leaving the bases loaded in the third and fifth while stranding nine runners in the first five innings.
Just two of the four runs Luke Weaver (6-11) allowed in his 3 2/3 innings were earned. He gave up seven hits, including two to Roark, who scored both times.