Willson Contreras hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning, Masyn Winn scored the winning run on a passed ball in the 11th, and the St. Louis Cardinals came back from a 5-0 deficit to defeat the Washington Nationals 7-6 on Friday night.
Contreras struck out in the 11th inning, but a pitch from Dylan Floro got past catcher Riley Adams, allowing Winn to score from third base. Adams had taken over behind the plate in the 10th inning after Keibert Ruiz was replaced by a pinch-runner.
In the ninth inning, Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan threw a fastball over the middle of the plate to Contreras, who hit a 407-foot home run to tie the game at 5-5.
“It feels good,” Contreras said. “We didn’t give up until the last out. That’s what we showed tonight. We started grinding out at-bats, making adjustments. It was tough early on, but we did what we had to do to win.”
Ryan Helsley (3-3) pitched two innings and retired the Nationals in order in the 11th inning with two popups and a groundout.
Helsley allowed Ruiz to tie the game at 6-6 with an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning, marking his third blown save of the season and ending the Cardinals’ streak of converting 31 consecutive save opportunities.
“I kind of chuckled about it,” Helsley said. “Well, my streak is over, so I need to go out there and try to fight for the win for the team. Our bullpen is pretty taxed. I felt good and I was like, ‘I will take the ball if he will give it to me.’ He told me it’s yours. So, I went back out there and thankfully it turned out.”
Juan Yepez, a former Cardinal making his debut for Washington, lined into a double play to end the 10th inning.
Luis Garcia Jr. hit his third home run in his past two games for Washington, going 4-for-5 with two RBIs. His 10 home runs this season are a career high.
Nolan Arenado had a strong game for St. Louis, going 4-for-5 with a double, three singles, and two runs scored. Nolan Gorman also contributed with two RBI singles, including one in the top of the 10th inning that gave the Cardinals a 6-5 lead.
