Trevor Williams outpitched Miles Mikolas in soggy conditions, CJ Abrams went 3 for 3 with a homer and the Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 on Wednesday to end a five-game skid.
With the rain getting heavier in the fifth inning, Abrams sent a 1-0 fastball from Mikolas (4-5) into the visitors' bullpen in left-center.
Williams (4-4) allowed five hits and threw 75 pitches while working into the seventh inning for the first time this year as he cooled off the Cardinals, who had won four straight and scored eight or more runs in their last three. St. Louis was shut out for the seventh time this season.
Williams departed after Lars Nootbaar’s leadoff single in the seventh. Reliever Mason Thompson walked Nolan Arenado, then got two outs before Kyle Finnegan came on and induced an inning-ending grounder. Finnegan completed the eighth and Hunter Harvey pitched the ninth for his fourth save.
Jeimer Candelario drove in runs for Washington with a double in the sixth and a grounder in the eighth.
The game began under cloudy conditions and light drizzle, with radar indicating rain would continue throughout the afternoon and evening. But both teams had incentives to try and play.
This was the final game of the Cardinals’ only visit to Washington this season, and they were scheduled to depart for London on Wednesday night for a weekend series against the rival Chicago Cubs. The Nationals will play Arizona on Thursday to make up a game postponed June 8 because of poor air quality.
Mikolas and Williams both appeared determined to spend as little time on the mound as possible in the iffy weather. They combined to walk one batter, and Mikolas frequently started his delivery with nearly 10 seconds left on the pitch clock.
Perhaps sensing the Cardinals needed an offensive spark, Dylan Carlson hit a soft liner just over the head of second baseman Luis García in the fifth and tried to stretch it into an unlikely double. Right fielder Lane Thomas threw Carlson out at second.
Mikolas took a comebacker from Abrams off his lower right leg with two outs in the seventh but finished the inning. He allowed two runs on eight hits but lost his fourth consecutive start.
Adam Wainwright (3-1, 5.56 ERA) is set to open the series at London Stadium against Cubs LHP Justin Steele (7-2, 2.71) on Saturday.
