Brendan Donovan hit a two-run homer as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the visiting Washington Nationals 4-2 Tuesday night.

Lars Nootbaar hit a solo homer for St. Louis in a game that was delayed 2 hours, 19 minutes by rain.

The Cardinals won for just the second time in their last seven games while the Nationals lost their fourth straight game.

St. Louis starting pitcher Sonny Gray (9-3) allowed two runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out six batters and walked one.

Steven Matz, Phil Maton, JoJo Romero and Ryan Helsley worked one scoreless inning each for the Cardinals, with Helsley earning his 18th save.

Nationals starting pitcher Jake Irvin (7-4) allowed four runs on six hits and four walks in six innings. He struck out three.

Washington moved ahead 2-0 in the third inning. Jacob Young walked with one out, went to third on a single by CJ Abrams, and scored on James Wood’s single.

Luis Garcia Jr. followed with a run-scoring fielder’s choice grounder.

The Cardinals answered by taking a 3-2 lead with four straight hits in their half of the inning. Victor Scott II hit a leadoff double and Donovan followed with his homer.

Masyn Winn hit a single and scored on Alec Burleson’s double.

Gray escaped a jam in the fourth inning. Josh Bell hit a leadoff double and moved to third on Daylen Lile’s one-out single, but Riley Adams grounded into a double play.

Garcia hit a single and Bell drew a one-out walk in the sixth inning, but Matz coaxed a double-play grounder from Brady House.

Nootbaar’s homer in the bottom of the inning increased the Cardinals’ lead to 4-2. Winn nearly belted a homer in the seventh inning, but Wood reached over the left field wall to deny him.

–Field Level Media