The Washington Nationals won their third game in a row Friday night, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 10-0 behind a complete game effort from Gio Gonzalez.
The left-hander (17-7) pitched his second complete game of the season, scattering five hits while walking three and striking out eight. With the win, Washington matched their win total from 2011, when they finished 80-81. (One game was rained out and never made up.)
The bulk of Washington's offensive damage was done in a four-run third inning that made the score 6-0 and chased St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright (13-11). The Nats added two in the fifth inning when Kurt Suzuki and Jayson Werth scored on a single by Bryce Harper, and Ryan Zimmerman provided the final margin in the bottom of the eighth inning with an opposite-field, two-run home run into the Washington bullpen.
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