Adam Wainwright pitched neatly into the seventh inning, helping himself by kicking the ball over to first for a key out, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Harrison Bader drove in two runs and Kolten Wong had two hits as NL Central-leading St. Louis earned its fourth straight victory. It was the Cardinals’ 18th win in April, matching a team record set in 2008.
Wainwright (3-2) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out five and walked two.
The Nationals had a chance to score first in the second inning, loading the bases with two out.