Ozuna provided the offense a two-run homer and a two-run double. He also provided some defense, throwing out a runner at the plate from left field.
“I was overthinking, trying to do too much,” Ozuna said. “Today I said, let’s go, get a good pitch to hit, swing and don’t be afraid.”
The Cardinals (84-66) maintained their two-game lead in the National League Central, as the second-place Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-2 later on Monday. Each team has 12 games left after Monday.
The Nationals (82-67) lost for the eighth time in their last 12 games. Bench coach Chip Hale guided the team with manager Dave Martinez sidelined after undergoing a heart procedure.
Washington saw its lead over Chicago for the NL’s first wild card slip to a half-game.
Cardinals starting pitcher Dakota Hudson (16-7) earned the victory by holding the Nationals to two runs on five hits in seven innings. Closer Carlos Martinez, back after a brief hospitalisation due to respiratory problems, got the final out for his 20th save.
Reliever Sean Doolittle (6-5), the third Washington pitcher, took the loss. Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg walked four batters and needed 99 pitches to get through five innings.
Strasburg allowed Ozuna’s two-run homer in the first inning, then held the Cardinals scoreless for four innings before exiting.
The Nationals cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fourth inning, and they nearly scored more.
With two outs, Juan Soto walked, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a single and Ryan Zimmerman walked to load the bases. Victor Robles lined a single to left field to score Soto, but Ozuna threw out Cabrera at the plate to end the inning.
The Nationals tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning with Anthony Rendon’s solo homer. It was Rendon’s 34th homer of the season, and just the third that Hudson allowed in his past nine starts.
But the Cardinals rallied in the seventh inning. Dexter Fowler drew a one-out walk from Doolittle. With two outs, Paul Goldschmidt drew a walk from reliever Hunter Strickland, whose subsequent wild pitch moved both runners up. Ozuna’s ground-rule double down the left field line gave the Cardinals their winning margin. Tigers’ Alexander beats O’s for 1st big-league win. Tyler Alexander recorded his first major league victory, Jordy Mercer hit a two-run home run and the host Detroit Tigers defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 on Monday.
Alexander (1-3) limited the Orioles to one run on four hits and didn’t issue a walk while striking out three in six innings. Joe Jimenez struck out Trey Mancini with the bases loaded in the ninth for his seventh save.
Victor Reyes had a double and a triple, scored a run and knocked in two more for Detroit. Dawel Lugo scored a run and had an RBI.
Detroit designated hitter Miguel Cabrera returned to the lineup after missing two games with knee soreness. He went 0-for-4.
Mancini hit a solo homer for Baltimore, which settled for a split in the four-game series between the majors’ worst teams. Rookie starter John Means (10-11) gave up five runs on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 5 2/3 innings for the
Orioles.
Detroit struck early when Reyes led off the bottom of the first with a triple and scored on Mercer’s 424-foot blast to left-centre field.
Mancini led off the fourth with a double to left. He advanced to third on a groundout but Alexander retired the next two batters on a strikeout and fly ball.
The Tigers extended their lead to 4-0 in the fifth. Lugo led off with a single and Travis Demeritte reached on an infield hit.
Means retired the next two batters before Reyes doubled to left-centre, bringing home both runners. Reyes was thrown out trying to stretch the extra-base hit into another triple.
Baltimore got on the board in the sixth with Mancini’s two-out solo shot, which travelled an estimated 430 feet to left field. The Tigers made it 5-1 in the bottom of the inning.
They loaded the bases on two walks and a single before Lugo hit a sacrifice fly to knock in Mercer.
The Orioles scored in the seventh on Jonathan Villar’s triple and Austin Hays’ run-scoring single.
Detroit had runners in scoring position with one out in the bottom of the inning. But Mercer fouled out and Cabrera grounded out.
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