ST. LOUIS (AP) — CJ Abrams became the 52nd player to join the 30-30 club, Cade Cavalli threw his 200th strikeout of the year, and the Washington Nationals took down the St. Louis Cardinals 9-1 on Friday night.
Abrams joined the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong as the only players to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases this season. He is just the second National to do it, joining Alfonso Soriano in 2006.
Cavalli (13-5) struck out the side in the first, and finished with six strikeouts and four hits in five innings of work.
His 200th strikeout came on his final pitch of the night, and he became the fifth Nationals pitcher with a 200-strikeout season — joining Patrick Corbin, Gio Gonzalez, Max Scherzer, and Stephen Strasburg — just hours after inking a four-year, $47 million contract extension.
The Nats scored three runs in the first, started by Abrams’ RBI single. Abrams then stole his 30th base, and an errant throw from Cardinals catcher Leo Bernal let Dylan Crews come around to score. Brady House added an RBI groundout before the end of the frame.
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Crews started a four-run third with his 12th homer of the season, a two-run shot to right, and Yohandy Morales added a two-run double.
Daylen Lile hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth and James Wood had an RBI double in the sixth to round out the scoring.
Bernal had two hits for the Cardinals. Kyle Leahy (10-5) allowed a season-high seven runs (six earned) on five hits. He walked three and struck out one.
With the loss, St. Louis was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
Up next
Nats LHP Andrew Alvarez (2-6, 3.35 ERA) faces Cardinals RHP Michael McGreevy (7-9, 3.83) as the series continues on Saturday.
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