The Associated Press
WASHINGTON–If nothing else, Nationals” slugger Bryce Harper spent some quality time with Cardinals’ first baseman Matt Carpenter last night.
Harper tied a career high with four hits (all singles) and reached base in all six plate appearances to help Washington to a 14-6 rout of St. Louis.
“I got to know Carpenter a little bit more than I have, so that was good,” Harper deadpanned.
“He’s a great guy.”
Harper drove in three runs during his first four-hit game since April 17, 2013.
Stephen Drew, Adam Eaton, and Ryan Zimmerman each had three of Washington’s 19 hits.
Drew drove in four runs while Eaton knocked in three as the Nationals overcame four errors.
They broke open the game in a seven-run eighth inning.
“It was kind of an ugly game,” admitted manager Dusty Baker.
“But when you score, it will kill most of the ills.”
Tanner Roark (2-0) allowed five runs (three earned) over five innings.
The right-hander worked around three errors committed behind him.
“Nobody’s perfect,” Roark said. “Errors are going to happen.
“You just do your best to try to pick up the guy that made the error,” he reasoned.
Stephen Piscotty returned to St. Louis’ lineup after missing two games with a sore left knee and knocked in two runs.
Cardinals’ starter Adam Wainwright (0-2) gave up six runs (five earned) and 11 hits over four-plus innings.
“Sometimes you get your tail whooped and you’ve got to give some credit to the other side,” Wainwright said.
“They hit some good pitches,” he noted. “They hit some not-so-good pitches.”
Wainwright failed to retire any of the three batters he faced as the Nationals took the lead with a three-run fifth.
He exited after his 96th pitch–a 1-0 fastball that Drew belted to deep right for an RBI double that pulled Washington to 5-4.
Matt Wieters followed with a tying single off Brett Cecil.
Two batters later, Eaton delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly.
Washington’s last two runs came in the eighth on Harper’s two-out single that scorched past second baseman Kolten Wong and was not ruled an error because of a bad hop.
“When I was a kid, there was so-called ‘too hot to handle,'” noted Baker. “And that ball was too hot to handle.
“That ball ate him up.”
Harper slid into first base on his third hit–his belt coming loose as his body slammed against the infield clay on a bunt single in the sixth inning.
In the seventh, the right-fielder fired a throw to first to double up Carpenter on Piscotty’s lineout, then pumped his fist in celebration.
“That reminds me of my catching days and throwing guys out,” Harper noted.
“That was a lot of fun.”
With Eaton batting lead-off and Drew playing shortstop, they more than made up for the absence of Trea Turner, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list yesterday with a strained right hamstring.
Drew did commit one of Washington’s four errors, but also made a diving stop of Jhonny Peralta’s hard-hit grounder to start an inning-ending double play in the fifth.
Washington trailed 5-3 at the time.
“Play of the game,” Roark said.
Elsewhere in the NL, San Francisco beat Arizona 4-1, Cincinnati dumped Pittsburgh 7-1, New York edged Philadelphia 4-3, Chicago nipped L.A. 3-2, and San Diego downed Colorado 5-3.
Over in the AL, New York beat Tampa Bay 8-1, Detroit edged Boston 2-1, Oakland blanked Kansas City 2-0, and Seattle dumped Houston 6-0.
