Nationals 8, Cardinals 2: Wood, Lowe Lead Cairo to First Win

Wednesday, July 9th, 2025

ST. LOUIS — James Wood hit his 24th homer, Nathaniel Lowe added a three-run shot and the Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 on Wednesday night to give interim manager Miguel Cairo his first victory with the team.

Cairo took over when Washington fired manager Dave Martinez and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo hours after a loss on Sunday.

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, extending the lead to 7-1. 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 for St. Louis, 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 ERA) pitches against St. Louis' Miles Mikolas (4-6, 5.36 ERA) on Thursday.

In summary

The Washington Nationals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 8-2 on July 9, 2025. Key offensive contributions included home runs from James Wood (24th) and Nathaniel Lowe (14th), with Lowe's providing an early lead. MacKenzie Gore earned the win, pitching six strong innings. The victory marked the first for Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo. Masyn Winn had three hits for the Cardinals.

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