A late collapse from the St. Louis Cardinals' bullpen blew a solid performance from Jaime Garcia as the Washington Nationals handed the erstwhile NL Central leaders a loss by a score of 8-6. Miguel Batista allowed five earned runs in two-thirds of an inning to take the defeat, while Jason Motte and Trever Miller each failed to end the rally before the save was blown. The loss erases home runs from Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman and RBIs from Yadier Molina and rookie Andrew Brown, making the first start of his career in right field.
Ryan Theriot's defensive struggles at shortstop continued with two errors that contributed to a Garcia unearned run and additional spotty play on hits for which he wasn't credited—or discredited.
Kyle McClellan, who will be removed from the 15-day disabled list before the game, will get the start on Wednesday as the Cardinals attempt to stop this sudden losing streak at four games. Outfielder Matt Holliday is expected back by the end of this three-game series.