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Carpenter hits 33rd home run, DeJong walks off Nats in thrilling comeback

The win was the sixth in a row for the Cardinals, their longest streak of the season, and improved their record to a season-high nine games over .500.
Credit: Jeff Curry, USA Today Sports; Joel Hulsey, KSDK
Photo: Jeff Curry, USA Today Sports; Joel Hulsey, KSDK

By Rob Rains

When Paul DeJong hit only one home run in his first 100 at-bats coming back from a broken hand in July, he knew it was only a matter of time before the power returned.

He was right, and the Cardinals have benefitted greatly – no more so than on Monday night when DeJong led off the bottom of the ninth with his first career walk-off homer to win the game for the Cardinals over the Nationals at Busch Stadium.

It was DeJong’s fourth homer in his last six games and was the seventh walk-off homer for the Cardinals this season.

The win was the sixth in a row for the Cardinals, their longest streak of the season, and improved their record to a season-high nine games over .500.

Here is how the game broke down:

At the plate: The Nationals, ahead 4-3 with one out in the eighth and runners on second and third, elected to pitch to Matt Carpenter – and his three-run homer put the Cardinals ahead 6-4. It was Carpenter’s league-leading 33rd homer of the year and seventh in 12 games in August … Earlier he had extended his on-base streak to 31 consecutive games, reaching on a bunt single and a walk … It was the fifth game in a row in which the Cardinals scored at least seven runs … Jedd Gyorko had cut the lead to 4-3 with a leadoff homer in the eighth, his ninth of the season … DeJong’s homer gave the Cardinals three homers in the span of their last nine batters in the game … Jose Martinez had four singles in the 17-hit attack … Harrison Bader grounded into a 1-2-3 double play in the fifth, the first double play he has grounded into in 239 at-bats this season.

On the mound: Miles Mikolas gave up the first four Nationals runs, three of which were the rssult of a solo homer by Bryce Harper and a two-run homer by 19-year-old Juan Soto, the youngest player to homer against the Cardinals since Ken Hubbs of the Cubs in 1961, who was 14 days younger than Soto … Bud Norris suffered his fourth blown save of the year when he could not protect the 6-4 lead in the ninth. Dakota Hudson was able to get out of the jam and strand the go-ahead runner at third by getting the last two outs on a groundout and strikeout.

Key stat: Mikolas had allowed only one home run in his last 54 innings and had not allowed two or more homers in a game since he gave up three in his first start of the season in Milwaukee. He had allowed only two home runs in 71 innings at Busch this season prior to Monday night’s game.

Worth noting: When Carlos Martinez returns from his latest injury, ir will be as a reliever, the Cardinals said on Monday. Part of that is timing, because he will be available sooner if he is pitching in relief, and part is due to Martinez being injured twice after coming back as a starter … Martinez could be joined as a bullpen option in September by Adam Wainwright, who began a rehab assignment with Class A Palm Beach on Monday night. He worked one scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. He only threw nine pitches, seven of them strikes … John Mozeliak, the team’s president of baseball operations, said he intends to have a future conversation with former Cardinal Rick Ankiel, who has announced he is going to attempt a comeback as a relief pitcher … Tyler O’Neill is expected to be activated from the DL before Tuesday night’s game.

Looking ahead: John Gant will get the start on Tuesday night in the second game of the four-game series against the Nationals.

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