Cardinals Sweep Nationals with Nootbaar, Contreras, Arenado Homers

Lars Nootbaar has been a key contributor to the St. Louis Cardinals' recent offensive surge, highlighted by his leadoff home runs including his seventh career leadoff blast in a 6-1 win over the Washington Nationals. His ability to generate early offense has helped the Cardinals extend their winning streak to eight games, tying for the longest in MLB this season. Nootbaar is currently batting .244 with six homers, 26 runs scored, and 22 RBIs, and he is among 15 MLB players with multiple leadoff home runs this season, a milestone reached earlier than in any previous year. The Cardinals' early scoring in games, combined with strong pitching performances like Miles Mikolas' recent outings, has been credited by players and manager Oliver Marmol as a major factor in their success. In the sweep against the Nationals, Nootbaar's leadoff homer, along with home runs from Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado, helped solidify the team's dominance. The Cardinals have outscored their last two opponents 33-7 and show signs of becoming the team many expected at the start of the season.