James Wood hit his 24th homer, Nathaniel Lowe added a three-run shot and the Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 Wednesday night to give interim manager Miguel Cairo his first victory.
Nationals Cardinals Baseball Washington Nationals' Nathaniel Lowe watches his three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Nationals Cardinals Baseball Washington Nationals' Nathaniel Lowe, right, is congratulated by teammate Josh Bell (19) after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Nationals Cardinals Baseball Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Nationals Cardinals Baseball Washington Nationals' Amed Rosario hits a solo home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Nationals Cardinals Baseball Washington Nationals' Amed Rosario, left, rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante during the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Nationals Cardinals Baseball Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore rubs up a new ball between pitches during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Nationals Cardinals Baseball Washington Nationals' James Wood (29) and Amed Rosario (13) celebrate a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in a baseball game Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Nationals Cardinals Baseball Washington Nationals' James Wood, left, is congratulated by teammate Luis Garcia Jr. after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
AP Photo/Jeff Roberson
Nationals Cardinals Baseball Washington Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo watches from the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — James Wood hit his 24th homer, Nathaniel Lowe added a three-run shot and the Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 Wednesday night to give interim manager Miguel Cairo his first victory.
Wood hit a solo homer in the seventh inning with an exit velocity of 115.9 mph that traveled 433 feet to center field. Wood has been named an All-Star and will take part in the Home Run Derby.
Lowe staked Washington to a lead in the first inning with his 14th homer of the season. The Nationals added three more runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Alex Call and a bloop single with the bases loaded by Jacob Young that scored two runs.
Amed Rosario hit a solo homer, his fifth, in the fifth inning, for a 7-1 lead. MacKenzie Gore (4-8) pitched six innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk while striking out seven as the Nationals snapped a four-game skid.
Andre Pallante (5-5) worked six innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout. Masyn Winn had three hits for the Cardinals.
Key moment
Lowe’s 360-foot homer in the first inning wasn’t nearly as prodigious as Wood’s, but it gave the Nationals all the runs they would need.
Key stat
While Cairo got his first win as the Nationals’ manager, it wasn’t his first in the majors. Cairo was Tony La Russa’s bench coach with the Chicago White Sox from 2021-22 and went 18-16 as interim manager when La Russa went on medical leave.
Up next
Washington’s Michael Soroka (3-6, 5.40) pitches against St. Louis’ Miles Mikolas (4-6, 5.36) on Thursday.
