Nationals end Cards' five-game win streak

ST. LOUIS -- Livan Hernandez wrapped up the first five-victory month of his career to become the NL's second eight-game winner and Brad Wilkerson had three doubles, helping the Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Sunday.

Jamey Carroll's RBI single capped a three-run fifth for the Nationals (25-25), who avoided getting swept for the second straight series and ended a five-game losing streak.

Jim Edmonds homered for the third straight game and Abraham Nunez had an RBI single in the first inning for the Cardinals, who finished a 5-1 homestand in front of a sellout crowd of 47,012. The actual attendance was 50,111, the largest of the season.

Hernandez (8-2) was 5-0 in May with a 2.76 ERA to join Dontrelle Willis of the Marlins as the NL's only eight-game winners. He's also 6-0 with a 2.84 ERA in seven starts against teams outside the NL East, and he's 7-0 in his last eight starts overall.

Hernandez gave up two runs and seven hits in seven innings. Chad Cordero worked the ninth for his 11th save in 13 chances.

In the finale of a 2-7 trip, Hernandez beat seven-game winner Chris Carpenter, who gave up three runs and eight hits in seven innings. Carpenter, who had won his three previous starts, had eight strikeouts and no walks.

Wilkerson's three doubles tied the franchise record for Montreal and Washington, and his two-run double in the fifth tied the score at 2. He entered the game second in the NL with 18 doubles.

David Eckstein tripled to start the bottom of the first and scored on Nunez's single to give the Cardinals the lead.

Edmonds, who entered the series in a 1-for-14 slump, homered off a 2-1 breaking ball from Hernandez in the third to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. He also singled and walked twice and has reached base safely in nine of his last 12 plate appearances.

The Cardinals elected to pitch to Wilkerson, who had doubled his first two at-bats, in the fifth and Carpenter (7-3) paid for it. Wilkerson's third double on an 0-2 pitch drove in two runs and Carroll followed with an RBI single to put the Nationals ahead.

Hernandez played a role in the rally with a two-strike sacrifice bunt that had put the runners on second and third.

Notes: Cardinals C Yadier Molina is 8-for-14 throwing out basestealers after getting Nick Johnson trying for second to end the fourth. ... Johnson singled in the fourth and has reached base in 47 of 49 games. ... Hernandez beat the Cardinals for the first time since June 22, 2001, in St. Louis when he pitched for the Giants. He's 2-2 at Busch Stadium in his career in seven starts.