Nootbaar and Donovan homer to help the Cardinals beat the Nationals 4-2

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Brendan Donovan homered in a three-run third inning, Lars Nootbaar hit a solo homer in the sixth, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Tuesday night in a game that started after a 2 hour, 19 minute rain delay.

Sonny Gray (9-3) allowed two runs on six hits and a walk and struck out six in five innings.

Steven Matz, Phil Maton and JoJo Romero each pitched a scoreless inning of relief, and Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless ninth for his 18th save in 23 chances.

Jake Irvin (7-4) allowed four runs on six hits and surrendered a season high-tying four walks in six innings as Washington lost its fourth straight game in Miguel Cairo’s debut as interim manager.

Nootbaar hit his 12th homer of the season in the seventh inning on a ball that barely sailed over right fielder Daylen Lile’s outstretched glove to put St. Louis ahead 4-2.

Alec Burleson hit a double down the right field line to score Masyn Winn and give the Cardinals a 3-2 third-inning lead.

James Wood hit an RBI single to right field, and Luis García Jr. drove in a run on a fielder’s choice to help Washington pull ahead 2-0 in the third.

Donovan hit his eighth home run of the season on the first pitch he saw to tie the game at 2-all after Victor Scott II hit a ground-rule double to right field to lead off the inning.

Lile hit a single to right field to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. He’s three games away from tying Ryan Zimmerman’s rookie franchise-best 17-game streak from June 24 through July 18, 2006.

Nationals All-Star LHP MacKenzie Gore (3-8, 3.11 ERA) will face Cardinals RHP Andre Pallante (5-4, 4.10) on Wednesday night.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Washington Nationals Luis Garcia Jr. (2) is out as St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn attempts to complete a double-play during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Le)

Washington Nationals' James Wood hits an RBI-single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Le)

Washington Nationals right fielder Daylen Lile (51) is unable to make the catch on a home run by St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Lars Nootbaar during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Le)

St. Louis Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar (21) hits a home run against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Le)

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams looks on as St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan runs the bases after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Le)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)