Cardinals' Adam Wainwright outduels Nationals ace Max Scherzer

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Adam Wainwright came out on the good side of a pitching duel against three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a win over the Washington Nationals.

Wainwright allowed eight hits and one run in seven innings to pick up his 13th win of the season Wednesday in St. Louis. Scherzer took his seventh loss of 2019 after allowing seven hits and five runs in 6.2 innings.

"That's as good as it gets in the regular season, competing against a future Hall of Famer and competing against a great quality team over there," Wainwright told reporters. "As far as competing, that's every guy's dream right there.

"Competing against the best in this kind of atmosphere, in September down the stretch. That's the kind of stuff I live for. That was exactly how I had it scripted, too."

Cardinals utility man Tommy Edman hit a solo homer in the bottom of the third inning for the first run of the game. The 383-foot shot had an exit velocity of 98 mph and left the field in 4.7 seconds, according to Statcast. The laser also traveled just 76 feet above the ground on its way out of Busch Stadium.

Shortstop Paul DeJong plated Harrison Bader on a ground out in the fifth frame, giving the Cardinals a 2-0 edge.

Nationals shortstop Trea Turner closed the gap to one run with an RBI double in the seventh inning, before the Cardinals responded in the bottom of the inning. Edman plated DeJong on an RBI single before pinch hitter Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer for the final four-run advantage.

Edman went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. DeJong went 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Yan Gomes went 3 for 4 with a run scored for the Nationals. Turner was 2 for 5 with an RBI in the loss. Scherzer threw 11 strikeouts for the Nationals. Wainwright had three strikeouts and issued just one walk for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals won two games in the three-game series. The Chicago Cubs host the Cardinals at 7:15 p.m. EDT Thursday at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Miami Marlins host the Nationals at 7:10 p.m. EDT Friday at Marlins Park in Miami.