Wainwright uses arm, bat to lift Cardinals past Nats 9-4

WASHINGTON -- Adam Wainwright pitched seven gritty innings and made an ample contribution at the plate, hitting a two-run double to help the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Washington Nationals 9-4 on Saturday night.

Matt Holliday homered for the Cardinals, who took control with a four-run second inning highlighted by Wainwright's fifth extra-base hit of the season.

With two on, two outs and a run in, Wainwright lined the first pitch from Gio Gonzalez (3-3) into the left-center gap. Matt Carpenter, activated from the paternity list before the game, followed with an RBI double for a 4-0 lead. That started Wainwright (5-3) on a path to his fifth straight win. The right-hander allowed four runs and six hits -- including a career-record tying three home runs. He struck out five and walked none.

Wainwright received a whopping 45 runs of support in his previous six starts. The trend continued in this one -- with the pitcher himself as a main contributor. He leads all major league pitchers this season in extra-base hits and RBIs (a career-high eight).

Ryan Zimmerman went 4 for 4 with two homers, and Bryce Harper had a solo shot for the Nationals, who send unbeaten Stephen Strasburg to the mound today hoping to salvage a split of the four-game series.

Harper's home run was his 13th of the season and second in three games. But the reigning NL MVP is 7 for 43 (.163) since May 13, dropping his batting average 33 points to .245.

After St. Louis' big second inning, Zimmerman connected in the bottom half after Daniel Murphy hit a leadoff single. Murphy's hit was his 41st in May, most ever in one month by a Nationals player since the team moved from Montreal in 2005.

Holliday went deep in the third and Randal Grichuk snapped an 0-for-11 skid in the fifth with an RBI double. The hit chased Gonzalez, who gave up six runs, six hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings.

Harper homered to the deep center in the sixth, and Zimmerman hit his second of the game leading off the seventh to get Washington to 6-4.

Matt Adams answered with a pinch-hit, two-run double in the eighth.

Greg Garcia had three hits and an RBI for the Cardinals. Recalled from the minors Thursday when Carpenter was placed on the paternity list, Garcia is batting .647 in 11 big league games this season.