Overview

• The Nationals fired manager Dave Martinez and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo on Sunday, promoting bench coach Miguel Cairo to interim manager.
• The St. Louis Cardinals won the series opener 4-2 following a 2-hour, 19-minute rain delay, with homers by Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar and Sonny Gray allowing two runs over five innings.
• Washington evened the two-game series with an 8-2 victory on Wednesday, snapping a four-game losing skid under Cairo’s leadership.
• The Nationals’ lineup produced four home runs, highlighted by solo shots from James Wood and Amed Rosario and a three-run blast by Nathaniel Lowe.
• St. Louis dropped its sixth game in eight contests, raising questions about consistency in both its offense and pitching staff.