Scherzer dominates as Nats sweep Cardinals

ST. LOUIS — St. Louis native Max Scherzer dazzled in his homecoming to help the Nationals wrap up a sweep of the Cardinals with a 6-1 victory on Sunday. It was behind the strength of its starting staff — which limited St. Louis to three runs in 20 innings — that Washington became the first visiting team to complete a three-game sweep at Busch Stadium since June 2013.

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez went toe-to-toe with Scherzer through five scoreless innings. In fact, it was Scherzer who had the lone hit Martinez allowed during that stretch. But Martinez blinked in the sixth. Jose Lobaton turned a leadoff single into the game’s first run by advancing on a bunt and scoring on a single to center by Matt den Dekker.

The Nationals then piled on in the seventh, scoring three times during a two-pitch span in which Clint Robinson and Danny Espinosa hit back-to-back home runs a combined 839 feet. The Nationals outhomered the Cardinals, 6-1, in the series and tallied 10 of their 17 series runs off the long ball.

The Cardinals were never able to advance a runner into scoring position against Scherzer, who limited the club to four singles in seven innings.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDReturn to form: Oddly enough, as the Nationals pitchers posted the second-best ERA in baseball to start the …

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