Daniel Murphy hit an RBI single and Jayson Werth hit a three-run blast in the first as the Washington Nationals jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over Jaime Garcia and the St. Louis Cardinals. Joe Ross gave up just one run in six innings of work in the 6-1 win.
Joe Ross left his April 20th start against the Miami Marlins early, then missed a turn in the rotation as he waited for a callus/blister on his right middle finger to heal, but Washington's 22-year-old right-hander returned this afternoon to face the St. Louis Cardinals.
He took the mound with a 4-0 lead courtesy of an RBI single to center by Daniel Murphy, who drove Anthony Rendon in from second base, and a two-out, three-run home run to left by Jayson Werth that put the Nationals up 4-0 early in the second game of three in Busch Stadium.