ST. LOUIS — Left-hander Jose Quintana, one of two starting pitchers acquired by the Cardinals at the early August trading deadline, worked a fifth consecutive start of five innings or fewer on Tuesday night. But this five-inning stint was highly effective as he struck out five, walked no one and gave up just one run to the Washington Nationals.
The Cardinals’ crack late-inning bullpen took it from there to nail down a 4-1 win at Busch Stadium over the pesky Nationals, who had entered the game with three consecutive victories over the New York Mets and Cardinals.
Quintana has made seven starts for the Cardinals since coming from the Pittsburgh Pirates, whom he will face this weekend in Pittsburgh. The Cardinals are 6-1 in those starts and Quintana, though he has gone six innings only twice, hasn’t given up more than two earned runs in any of the games.
