Jordan Walker homers for third consecutive game as Cardinals beat Nationals 6-1

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Jordan Walker homered for the third consecutive game, Michael McGreevy earned his first victory of the season, and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Washington Nationals 6-1 on Wednesday.

Alec Burleson had three hits and drove in three runs for St. Louis, which won two of three against the Nationals and finished 3-3 on a road trip that began in Detroit.

Miles Mikolas, who made two All-Star appearances while pitching for St. Louis from 2018-25, surrendered two runs in three innings in his first outing against the Cardinals as Washington lost for the seventh time in eight games.

Walker continued his strong start, ripping Brad Lord’s full-count slider to center in the fifth inning. The 23-year-old has five homers in 49 plate appearances in St. Louis’ first 12 games after hitting six in 396 trips to the plate last year.

After the Nationals’ Cionel Perez walked the first two batters in the seventh, Burleson singled in a run to make it 4-1. Yohel Pozo added a two-run single in the ninth.

McGreevy (1-1) yielded a run on four hits in six innings to lower his ERA to 2.16. The right-hander struck out one but retired the last 11 batters he faced, including seven consecutive groundouts to end his outing.

Mikolas (0-3) allowed eight of the 17 hitters he faced to reach safely and was lifted after throwing 55 pitches. But Burleson’s two-run single in the second accounted for the Cardinals’ only scoring against the right-hander.

Luis García Jr. drove in Washington’s run on a grounder in the third.

After a day off Thursday, St. Louis opens a three-game series at home against Boston. RHP Dustin May (0-2, 15.95 ERA) makes his third start for the Cardinals.

Washington is also off Thursday. RHP Jake Irvin (1-1, 8.00) starts Friday as the Nationals begin a road trip in Milwaukee.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb