Nats clinch series with 6-1 win in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS - The Nationals have been coming to this version of Busch Stadium for a decade now, and there may be no ballpark in America that has been less welcoming to the club from Washington than this one.

That storyline may finally be changing. With a 6-1 win over the Cardinals this afternoon, the Nationals have now won two in a row and clinched their first series victory in St. Louis since 2007.

And they've made it look relatively easy so far this weekend. Their 5-4 win Friday night was a bit tense late, but they led most of the game. And they led the entire way today, thanks to a four-run explosion in the top of the first.

Daniel Murphy's two-out RBI single brought home the afternoon's first run, but the big blast came moments later when Jayson Werth launched a three-run homer off the top of the left-field wall, giving the Nationals a 4-0 lead before Joe Ross ever took the mound.

The young right-hander gladly accepted the run support, not that he needed it. Making his first start in 10 days due to a blister on his right middle finger, Ross didn't miss a beat. He allowed just one run over six strong innings, which actually raised his ERA to a scant 0.79 in four starts.

Ross had a 19 2/3-inning scoreless streak (second-longest in the NL this season to only Jake Arrieta) snapped when the Cardinals scored a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth. But he finished strong, capping off his six-inning start on 93 total pitches.

Sammy Solis and Felipe Rivero each pitched a scoreless inning in relief of Ross, and thanks to some insurance runs late, manager Dusty Baker was able to avoid using closer Jonathan Papelbon for the third straight day.

The Nationals took advantage of St. Louis' continued sloppy play in the field, scoring an unearned run in the top of the eighth that extended their lead to 6-1. The Cardinals were charged with three errors in this game and have committed a major league-leading 24 this season. (The Nats have been charged with an MLB-low seven errors.)

Murphy went 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .370 and give himself 11 multi-hit games in 22 total games played.

The Nationals now will go for their first-ever sweep in St. Louis on Sunday afternoon, with local native Max Scherzer on the mound against dynamic right-hander Carlos Martinez.