Tough Loss in St. Louis 
The Washington Nationals faced off against the St. Louis Cardinals in a nail-biting contest that saw the Cardinals eke out a win with a final score of 4-3. Here’s a recap from a Nats fan’s perspective:1st and 2nd Inning Struggles
Our boys struggled out of the gate. CJ Abrams struck out to start the 1st inning, though Lane Thomas doubled to center, showing some promise. However, James Wood and Juan Yepez couldn’t bring him home.In the bottom of the 1st, Willson Contreras homered, putting us down 1-0 early. The Cardinals extended their lead in the 2nd inning when Lars Nootbaar walked, then scored on Pedro Pagés’s triple. It was 2-0, and things weren’t looking good.
Nationals Battle Back 
The 3rd inning was a glimmer of hope. Riley Adams walked, and Jacob Young doubled, setting up Abrams to drive in Adams. Another double by Thomas scored Young, tying the game 2-2. Our pitchers did a great job keeping the Cardinals in check through the next few innings.Taking the Lead 
In the 6th inning, Wood tripled to right field, and Yepez brought him home with a sacrifice fly. We were up 3-2! Harold Ramirez and Ildemaro Vargas kept the momentum going with back-to-back singles, but we couldn’t capitalize further.Heartbreak in the 7th
The Cards tied it up in the 7th when Siani singled to left, scoring Nootbaar. Despite solid pitching, Paul Goldschmidt hit a devastating walk-off homer in the 9th inning, ending the game at 4-3.Final Thoughts
We had our moments and showed resilience, but the Cardinals just edged us out at the end. While it's a tough loss to swallow, we’ll pick ourselves up and get ready for the next game. Let’s go Nats!
️Scoreboard for Nationals @ Cardinals (July 28th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 |