St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals Game Analysis: May 11, 2025 MLB Season

The St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals squared off on May 11, 2025, in the finale of a three-game series at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., where the Cardinals secured a 6-1 victory to complete a sweep. This matchup emphasized St. Louis’s early power surge with three home runs, complemented by Miles Mikolas‘ quality start, against a Nationals offense stifled by command issues from MacKenzie Gore. The article provides a thorough dissection of player contributions, inning breakdowns, and game context, sourced from verified platforms such as ESPN, Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com, and CBS Sports. Below, we break down the game summary, player stats, key moments, and broader insights.

Game Highlights

• Sport: Baseball
• League: MLB (Major League Baseball)
• Matchup: St. Louis Cardinals vs Washington Nationals Match Player Stats
• Game Covered:
  • Game: May 11, 2025
• Final Score: Cardinals 6, Nationals 1

Game Overview: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals, May 11, 2025

The Cardinals improved to 22-19 (7-13 away) with a 6-1 win, extending their winning streak to eight—the longest since August 2022—while outscoring opponents 33-7 over their last eight games. Washington fell to 17-24 (10-12 home), marking their fifth straight loss amid rebuilding challenges. St. Louis’s offense featured three home runs and timely hits, while their pitching limited the Nationals to five hits and one run. Below is a summary of the result:

• Game (May 11, 2025): St. Louis Cardinals 6, Washington Nationals 1

The Cardinals built a 2-0 lead with solo shots in the first and second innings, responded to Washington’s solo homer in the fourth, then pulled away with two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth for a decisive victory.

Game: St. Louis Cardinals 6, Washington Nationals 1 (May 11, 2025)

Game Summary

The St. Louis Cardinals capped a dominant series with a 6-1 triumph over the Washington Nationals on May 11, 2025, at Nationals Park, powered by three home runs from Lars Nootbaar, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado. Miles Mikolas (2-2) delivered 5.1 innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits with five strikeouts and one walk on 69 pitches, marking his fifth career win against Washington—all at this venue. The Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore (2-4) labored through 6.2 innings, yielding four runs on five hits with seven strikeouts but three walks and two early homers. St. Louis’s bullpen—Sterling Matz (hold), Phil Maton, and John King—shut the door, while Washington’s lone run came on Nathaniel Lowe‘s seventh homer of the season. Attendance: 20,585; game time: 2:24.

Key Player Stats: St. Louis Cardinals

• Lars Nootbaar (LF): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K, .244 AVG, .369 OBP, .417 SLG, 4 AB. Nootbaar’s leadoff homer to right (382 feet, fifth pitch off Gore) set the tone in the first, extending his on-base streak.
• Masyn Winn (SS): 0-for-3, 1 R, 0 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 2 BB, 2 K, .252 AVG, .339 OBP, .398 SLG, 3 AB. Winn drew two walks, including one in the eighth to precede Arenado’s homer, and scored from first.
• Brendan Donovan (2B): 0-for-4, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 1 BB, 1 K, .318 AVG, .377 OBP, .457 SLG, 4 AB. Donovan contributed defensively with a double-play grounder in the fifth.
• Nolan Arenado (3B): 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 H, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 0 BB, 0 K, .270 AVG, .352 OBP, .426 SLG, 4 AB. Arenado’s two-run homer to left center (385 feet, off Lord in eighth) provided insurance; he also doubled in the second and grounded into a double play.
• Willson Contreras (1B): 2-for-4, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 0 BB, 2 K, .255 AVG, .347 OBP, .416 SLG, 4 AB. Contreras’s solo homer to center (406 feet, off Gore in second) extended his RBI streak; he went 0-for-1 with RISP.
• Iván Herrera (DH): 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 1 BB, 1 K, .357 AVG, .424 OBP, .893 SLG, 3 AB. Herrera singled in the seventh, advancing to second on Pozo’s hit to score on Scott’s single.
• Y. Pozo (C): 2-for-4, 0 R, 2 H, 1 RBI, 0 HR, 0 BB, 0 K, .333 AVG, .349 OBP, .476 SLG, 4 AB. Pozo’s single to center in the seventh drove in Arenado (1-for-1 with RISP), going 2-for-2 overall with runners on.
• Jordan Walker (RF): 0-for-4, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 0 BB, 1 K, .186 AVG, .260 OBP, .254 SLG, 4 AB. Walker went 0-for-2 with RISP, stranding opportunities in the fifth and seventh.
• Victor Scott II (CF): 1-for-4, 0 R, 1 H, 1 RBI, 0 HR, 0 BB, 2 K, .290 AVG, .357 OBP, .403 SLG, 4 AB. Scott’s two-out single to center in the seventh scored Herrera (1-for-1 with RISP), providing the go-ahead push.

Inactives: None reported (full lineup active).

Team Stats: .265 FG (9/34), .200 OBP (14/70 plate appearances), .588 SLG, 6 R, 9 H, 0 E, 5 BB, 10 K, 3 HR, 6 LOB, 2 DP (Arenado-Winn-Contreras; Donovan), 2-for-6 RISP. St. Louis scored 3 HR (all solo or two-run), with 2 two-out RBI and 0 CS (Nootbaar caught stealing second, by Gore/Adams).

Key Player Stats: Washington Nationals

• CJ Abrams (SS): 3-for-4, 0 R, 3 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 0 BB, 0 K, .315 AVG, .374 OBP, .523 SLG, 4 AB. Abrams’s three singles (all grounders) were Washington’s only multi-hit effort, but he stranded runners in the third and fifth (0-for-1 RISP).
• AJ Call (RF): 0-for-3, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 0 BB, 2 K, .316 AVG, .421 OBP, .395 SLG, 3 AB. Call sacrificed in the second but struck out twice, going 0-for-1 RISP.
• James Wood (LF): 0-for-4, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 0 BB, 0 K, .274 AVG, .374 OBP, .529 SLG, 4 AB. Wood grounded into a double play in the fourth, ending a potential rally (0-for-1 RISP).
• Nathaniel Lowe (1B): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 K, .242 AVG, .322 OBP, .425 SLG, 4 AB. Lowe’s solo homer to left center (382 feet, off Mikolas in fourth, 2 out) was Washington’s only run (0-for-1 RISP).
• Josh Bell (DH): 1-for-4, 0 R, 1 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 0 BB, 2 K, .134 AVG, .226 OBP, .286 SLG, 4 AB. Bell doubled off Mikolas in the first but was erased on a GIDP; no RISP chances.
• Luis García Jr. (2B): 0-for-3, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 0 BB, 0 K, .217 AVG, .274 OBP, .326 SLG, 3 AB. García grounded out in the third (0-for-1 RISP), contributing to a DP in the fifth.
• Dylan Crews (CF): 0-for-3, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 0 BB, 0 K, .182 AVG, .238 OBP, .321 SLG, 3 AB. Crews flew out in the sixth (0-for-1 RISP), with a diving catch in the third for defensive highlight.
• José Tena (3B): 0-for-1, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 2 BB, 0 K, .234 AVG, .279 OBP, .313 SLG, 1 AB. Tena walked twice, including in the seventh, but was picked off first.
• Riley Adams (C): 0-for-3, 0 R, 0 H, 0 RBI, 0 HR, 0 BB, 3 K, .179 AVG, .179 OBP, .429 SLG, 3 AB. Adams struck out three times, including looking in the ninth.

Inactives: None reported (full lineup active).

Team Stats: .172 FG (5/29), .222 OBP (7/31 plate appearances), .345 SLG, 1 R, 5 H, 0 E, 2 BB, 8 K, 1 HR, 4 LOB, 1 DP (Tena-García Jr.-Lowe), 0-for-5 RISP. Washington had 1 two-out RBI, 1 SH (Call), and 1 GIDP (Wood).

Critical Moments

• 1st Inning (STL 1, WSH 0): Nootbaar crushed a 382-foot homer to right on Gore’s fifth pitch (0 on, 0 out), giving St. Louis a quick 1-0 lead after Bell’s leadoff double was erased on a GIDP.

• 2nd Inning (STL 2, WSH 0): Contreras belted a 406-foot solo homer to center off Gore (0 on, 0 out), extending the lead to 2-0; Gore escaped further damage with two strikeouts.

• 3rd Inning (STL 2, WSH 0): Mikolas retired the side in order, including García’s groundout, while St. Louis stranded two after Winn’s walk and Donovan’s single.

• 4th Inning (STL 2, WSH 1): Lowe hammered a 382-foot solo homer to left center off Mikolas (0 on, 2 out), trimming the deficit to 2-1; Mikolas then induced a flyout from Bell.

• 5th Inning (STL 2, WSH 1): Mikolas navigated a two-out walk to Tena with a double play from Arenado, preserving the lead; St. Louis went down quietly.

• 6th Inning (STL 2, WSH 1): Gore struck out the side, including two on Contreras and Walker, but issued a walk to Herrera; Matz relieved and retired the Nats in order.

• 7th Inning (STL 4, WSH 1): Pozo singled to score Arenado (1 on, 1 out, 3-1 lead); Scott II’s two-out single plated Herrera (4-1); Matz escaped a bases-loaded threat with a flyout from Crews (0-for-1 RISP).

• 8th Inning (STL 6, WSH 1): Arenado crushed a 385-foot two-run homer off Lord (1 on, 1 out, Winn aboard via walk), pushing the lead to 6-1; Maton allowed a single but struck out Abrams.

• 9th Inning (STL 6, WSH 1): King retired the side with Adams striking out looking; St. Louis stranded a runner after Nootbaar’s walk.

Head-to-Head Analysis

The Cardinals and Nationals have split 12 games since 2022 (6-6), with St. Louis averaging 4.8 runs per game to Washington’s 4.2, and opponents holding similar marks. In this 2025 series sweep, St. Louis outscored Washington 20-3 across three games, leveraging a .280 team BA and 3.00 ERA against the Nats’ .220 BA and 5.67 ERA.

Cardinals’ strengths:

• Power Edge: Three HRs (all off Gore/Lord), with 4-for-9 extra-base hits.
• Pitching Control: Mikolas’s 60 game score and bullpen’s 0 ER over 3.2 IP.

Nationals’ resilience:

• Defensive Plays: Crews’s diving catch; 1 DP turned.
• Strikeout Ability: Gore’s 7 K, but 3 BB and 2 HR proved costly.

Game Standouts

St. Louis Cardinals

• Nolan Arenado: Game MVP with 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR (eighth-inning dagger), anchoring the lineup at .270 AVG.
• Miles Mikolas: 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 K; efficient 69 pitches for the win.
• Lars Nootbaar: Leadoff HR for immediate momentum, plus a walk.

Washington Nationals

• CJ Abrams: 3-for-4 multi-hit game, but stranded chances at .315 AVG.
• Nathaniel Lowe: Solo HR for the team’s lone run, hitting .242 with power.
• MacKenzie Gore: 7 K in loss, but early homers inflated ERA to 3.59.

Team Performance Context

St. Louis Cardinals (22-19, 2nd in NL Central by May): The Cardinals surged above .500 for the first time since Opening Day, winners of eight straight with a 33-7 scoring edge over that span. Their balanced attack (4.8 RPG) and rotation depth positioned them for a Wild Card push, trailing the Brewers by 2.5 games.

Washington Nationals (17-24, 5th in NL East): The Nats dropped five in a row, mired in rebuild mode with a .220 team BA over the series. Young core like Abrams (18 RBI) and Wood showed flashes, but offensive droughts (1-for-20 RISP in sweep) highlighted inconsistencies against veteran pitching.

Injury and Roster Notes

• St. Louis Cardinals: No injuries; full strength with Contreras extending his 21-game on-base streak.
• Washington Nationals: No major absences; Tena’s pickoff in seventh was a baserunning miscue, but lineup intact post-rainout concerns from prior day.

Conclusion

The St. Louis Cardinals dominated the Washington Nationals 6-1 on May 11, 2025, with home runs from Nootbaar, Contreras, and Arenado, plus Mikolas’s steady start, completing a sweep that ignited their eight-game streak. Washington’s Lowe provided a spark, but Gore’s control issues and RISP woes (0-for-5) sealed a tough loss. This game underscored St. Louis’s contention form and the Nats’ growth pains. For more detailed box scores and highlights, visit ESPN, Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com, or CBS Sports.