Isringhausen blows save

WASHINGTON -- Jose Vidro picked a good time to start getting clutch hits.

Vidro ended a game of comebacks, lining a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday to give the Washington Nationals a 7-6 victory over St. Louis.

"I've missed a lot of chances to contribute to the ballclub," Vidro said. "This has been the biggest hit of the year for me right now."

Vidro had gone 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position before a run-scoring single in the sixth -- his first RBI since July 14. Hitting just 5-for-35 (.149) in his previous 10 games, he sat some while Washington used Bernie Castro, Marlon Anderson and Damian Jackson at second.

"It's good to see anybody come through," Washington manager Frank Robinson said. "He's been struggling."

Vidro got the winning hit off Jason Isringhausen (4-8), who has blown 10 saves in 43 chances.

Isringhausen threw 28 pitches in saving Tuesday's 2-0 win but told St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa that he could pitch Wednesday.

Felipe Lopez got a leadoff walk, Nick Johnson was hit by a pitch with one out and Ryan Church walked after falling behind 0-2 in the count. Vidro then lined a single past first baseman Albert Pujols and down the right-field line on a 1-0 pitch.

"I just couldn't find the strike zone," Isringhausen said. "Once I started missing, I was trying to do too much, trying to overcome it. Then I had throw a pitch right down the middle to get a strike."

Washington led 5-4 before Preston Wilson's two-run, upper-deck homer in the top of the ninth off Chad Cordero (7-4), who blew a save for the fourth time in 28 chances -- but first since the All-Star break.

Johnson had an RBI single in the first, but Scott Spiezio's three-run home run gave St. Louis a 3-1 lead in the sixth. The blast was Spiezio's first since Aug. 10.

Washington then scored four runs in the bottom half when Vidro and pinch-hitter Brian Schneider hit RBI singles and Alfonso Soriano chased Chris Carpenter with a two-run single.

Carpenter had his shortest outing since July 4, when he pitched five innings and picked up a win against Atlanta. Since then, he was 6-1 in 11 starts with 26 earned runs in 82 1/3 innings. He had lasted 34 innings in his last four starts with just four earned runs.

His ERA of 2.97 coming into the game led the National League and put him in contention to repeat as the NL Cy Young award winner.

Tyler Johnson and Josh Hancock finished out the sixth inning for Carpenter without allowing further damage.

Yadier Molina cut Washington's lead to 5-4 with a solo homer off Jon Rauch in the seventh.

Nationals shortstop Felipe Lopez made a spectacular bases-loaded catch of a Ronnie Belliard's bloop in the eighth.

The Cardinals remained six games ahead in the NL Central on Cincinnati, who also lost Wednesday.