WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Michael McGreevy delivered six strong innings and Alec Burleson drove in three runs as the St. Louis Cardinals methodically dispatched the Washington Nationals 6-1 on Wednesday afternoon at Nationals Park to claim the rubber match of their three-game series.

A crowd of 12,686 watched the Cardinals improve to 7-5, while the Nationals fell to 4-8.

The most important part of the game was McGreevy’s performance, which stifled any early Washington momentum and set the tone for a dominant evening by the St. Louis pitching staff. After the Nationals put two runners on with none out in the first inning, McGreevy induced a force out and two ground balls to escape unscathed. He then surrendered his only run in the third on a force out after two singles, but immediately erased the threat with a double play. From there, the right-hander retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced, relying on weak contact as he recorded 14 of his 18 outs via ground balls or infield pop-ups.

McGreevy earned his first win of the season, allowing one earned run on four hits over six innings, striking out one and walking none. His effort provided stability for a Cardinals team that had played a taxing 10-inning game the afternoon before.

The Cardinals’ offense, held in check early despite loading the bases in the first, broke through against Nationals starter Miles Mikolas in the second. Thomas Saggese and Nathan Church singled with one out. After a strikeout and a walk loaded the bases, Burleson lined a two-run single to center, scoring Saggese and Church for a 2-0 lead.

Washington cut the deficit in half in the third. Jacob Young and James Wood singled to put runners on the corners. Luis García Jr. then grounded into a force out, allowing Young to score. McGreevy ended the inning by getting Brady House to ground into a 4-6-3 double play.

St. Louis answered in the fifth against reliever Brad Lord. Jordan Walker led off the inning by launching a solo home run, his fifth of the season, to center field to restore the two-run cushion at 3-1.

The Cardinals added another run in the seventh. Back-to-back walks to JJ Wetherholt and Iván Herrera set the table for Burleson, who singled to center to score Wetherholt. A double play limited the damage to a single run.

St. Louis put the game out of reach in the ninth against Cole Henry. Herrera was hit by a pitch, Burleson walked and Walker walked to load the bases with two outs. Pinch-hitter Yohel Pozo then delivered a two-run single to left, plating Herrera and Burleson for the final 6-1 margin.

The Cardinals’ bullpen was flawless in support of McGreevy. Matt Svanson worked 1 2/3 perfect innings with a strikeout. Justin Bruihl recorded the final out of the eighth, and Riley O’Brien pitched a perfect ninth to seal the victory.

Burleson was the offensive catalyst for St. Louis, going 3 for 4 with a walk and three RBIs. Herrera reached base three times via a single and two walks, scoring twice.

Mikolas took the loss for Washington, falling to 0-3. He allowed two earned runs on five hits over three innings, walking one and striking out three. Lord was effective in relief, giving up one run on one hit over three innings, but the Nationals’ offense mustered only four singles and never seriously threatened after the third inning.

The game defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s simulator, which had forecast a 6-4 Nationals victory. While St. Louis was a slight favorite per the ELO system with a 52.7% win probability, the Cardinals easily covered the -1.5 spread. The total of seven runs stayed under the over/under line of 8.5.

The victory gave St. Louis the series win after the teams split the first two games, including a 7-6 Cardinals win in 10 innings on Tuesday.

St. Louis now returns home to open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Friday. Washington embarks on a seven-game road trip, beginning with three games against the Milwaukee Brewers, also on Friday.