The Washington Nationals enter today looking to build off of their momentum from last night’s monstrous eighth inning. They will be sending their ace, Cade Cavalli, to the mound as they try to earn an early series victory over Matthew Liberatore and the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Washington Nationals came back from down three for a 9-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night, flipping the game with a six-run eighth inning after trailing late. Washington jumped out early with two first-inning runs and held a lead into the middle innings behind a strong start from Zack Littell, but once he was out, he had to watch St. Louis plate five runs between the sixth and eighth innings to take a 6-3 lead.

Offensively, the Nationals delivered one of their most explosive stretches of the new season in that eighth inning. James Wood tied the game with a three-run homer as part of a 2-for-3 night with three RBIs and two walks, while Brady House followed with a go-ahead two-run shot. CJ Abrams added another homer later in the inning to cap the rally. House finished with three hits, and contributions from Drew Millas, Jacob Young, and others helped Washington rack up 12 hits on the night.

On the mound, Littell turned in a solid start, allowing just one run on four hits over five innings while striking out six. The bullpen, however, hit turbulence once again, allowing five runs across the sixth through eighth innings before stabilizing late. Cionel Pérez closed the door with a clean ninth inning to secure the win after the offense took the lead back.

On Deck…

The Nationals and Cardinals will wrap up this three-game series on Wednesday afternoon at 4:05 P.M., as Blake Butera sends Miles Mikolas to the mound to face his former team. Michael McGreevy will get the start for the Cardinals.

In the hole…

After a day off, Washington will open a seven-game road trip with a weekend set against the Milwaukee Brewers, who have not yet announced their starter. Meanwhile, the Nationals are expected to start Jake Irvin in that first game.