Instant Analysis: Cardinals 7, Nats 6 (10)

The Nationals bullpen once again blew a late lead. And this time, the lineup wasn't able to make up for it.

Photo by Billy Sabatini / ALL-PRO REELS

For the third straight day, the Nationals watched as their bullpen blew a late lead. This time, their lineup wasn’t able to pick their relievers up.

Leading the Cardinals by three runs entering the seventh, the Nats gave up the game-tying runs, with PJ Poulin and Gus Varland the culprits this time. And when they couldn’t push across the winning run in the bottom of either inning, this one went to extras. At which point Cole Henry surrendered a pair of runs via doubles by Thomas Saggese and JJ Wetherholt. The Nationals scored one run in the bottom of the 10th and had the tying run at third base, but they weren’t able to pull off the comeback and lost for the sixth time in seven games.

Though he wasn’t nearly as sharp as he would have liked, Cade Cavalli did manage to be effective again. The burgeoning staff ace gave up two first-inning runs (only one of them earned) and then put up zeroes after that despite dealing with runners on base in every inning. He departed one out shy of qualifying for the win, but the Nationals did hold a 3-2 lead thanks to James Wood’s third homer in as many days and Curtis Mead’s first homer since joining the club.

They extended the lead to 5-2 in the sixth, but that didn’t make life any easier for a bullpen that keeps finding ways to make the late innings nauseating. Poulin gave up a two-out, solo homer to Nolan Walker in the seventh. Varland then gave up a two-out, two-run homer to Nathan Church in the eighth, leaving the game tied. That’s where it remained into extra innings.

HITTING HIGHLIGHT: We could highlight Wood here every single day at this point if we wanted to, but where’s the fun in that? How about some love, then, for Mead, who enjoyed his best night of the young season. Batting second (behind Wood), the recently acquired first baseman singled and stole a base in the third, hit the go-ahead homer in the fifth and delivered an insurance, two-out RBI single in the sixth. Mead’s defense has been shaky, to say the least. But if he can continue to produce at the plate like that, he’ll find a way to keep himself in the lineup whenever the Nationals are facing a lefty.

PITCHING HIGHLIGHT: Cavalli allowed only one earned run – and he only gave up that one because officially you can’t assume the double play that CJ Abrams should’ve turned in the top of the first – but this was far from a crisp outing for the right-hander. He needed 94 pitches to complete 4 2/3 innings, walking four and consistently missing to his glove side (aka down and in to left-handed hitters). But you can’t argue with the end result, both tonight and overall this season. Despite command issues and plenty of traffic on the bases, Cavalli isn’t giving up the big hit. Opponents have yet to hit a home run off him. And three starts in, he sports a very nice 2.51 ERA.

NOTABLE: Abrams has hit safely in eight straight games, tied for the longest active streak in the majors. He has also reached base safely in all 10 games he’s played this season.

UP NEXT: Wednesday’s series finale (a 4:05 p.m. matinee) will see Miles Mikolas attempt to bounce back from two ragged starts to begin his Nats career, facing the team for which he was a two-time All-Star. Right-hander Michael McGreevy gets the ball for St. Louis. TV: Nationals TV RADIO: 106.7 FM