Trevor Williams outthrew Miles Mikolas in a steady rain, CJ Abrams went 3-for-3 with a home run and the Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 on Wednesday night, snapping a five-game skid. .
After the rain picked up in the fifth inning, Abrams hit a straight ball on a 1-0 count from Mikolas (4-5) into the visitors’ bullpen in left field. Jeimer Candelario drove in runs for Washington, doubled in the sixth and grounded out in the eighth.
Williams (4-4) allowed five hits and had 75 pitches as he worked into the seventh inning for the first time this year. He handcuffed a Cardinals who had won four in a row and scored eight or more runs in their last three games. St. Louis was shut out for the seventh time this season.
Williams came out after allowing Lars Nootbaar’s single to lead off the seventh. Reliever Mason Thompson walked Nolan Arenado and then got two outs before Kyle Finnegan came on and grounded out to end the inning. Finnegan pitched the eighth and Hunter Harvey pitched the ninth for his fourth save.
For the Cardinals, Venezuelan Willson Contreras 4-0.
For the Nationals, the Mexican Joey Meneses 3-0. The Venezuelan Keibert Ruiz 4-0.