Dunn homers, drives in 5 to break out of deep slump and lead Nationals to 14-5 rout of Cards

Dunn breaks out of slump, Nats rout Cardinals 14-5

WASHINGTON — Adam Dunn broke out of a prolonged slump with a homer and five RBIs, helping the Washington Nationals to a 14-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.

Dunn was in an 8-for-66 skid over 20 games when he doubled home two runs for a 4-3 Washington lead in a four-run third inning. With the score tied at 5 in the fifth, Dunn hit a three-run shot, his 32nd of the season and first since Aug. 11.

Livan Hernandez (9-9) allowed five runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings to win for the first time in five starts.

Roger Bernadina homered and Michael Morse had a career-high four hits for the Nationals, who had lost five of six. The 14 runs were the most scored at home by the Nationals since relocating to Washington from Montreal before the 2005 season.

The Cardinals took a 3-0 lead in the first. Skip Schumaker singled, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Albert Pujols’ ground-rule double down the left-field line. After Matt Holliday popped out, Jay homered to right, his fourth of the season.

Ivan Rodriguez’s RBI single got Washington on the board in the second.

The Nationals went ahead 5-3 in the third, and a controversial interference call might have cost them another run.

With Hernandez and Adam Kennedy on via singles, Ian Desmond tried to bunt the runners up. Desmond’s sacrifice was a beauty, and pitcher Kyle Lohse threw wildly past first, allowing Hernandez to score. But Desmond was called out by home plate umpire Dan Bellino for running inside the base line and the sacrifice was nullified.

After Bernadina was called out on strikes, Ryan Zimmerman singled a run home, Dunn hit a two-run double and Morse added an RBI single.

RBI doubles by Lohse and Felipe Lopez tied it in the St. Louis fifth.

In the bottom of the inning, Bernadina and Zimmerman singled with two down before Dunn drove a 3-2 fastball from Lohse into the first row of the center-field stands.

Lohse (2-6) lasted five innings, yielding eight runs and 11 hits.

Rodriguez had another RBI single in a six-run eighth and pinch-hitter Willie Harris appeared to hit a three-run double only to have Nyjer Morgan called out at home on a weird play. Morgan collided with catcher Bryan Anderson in front of the plate and missed touching home. Third base umpire Angel Hernandez ruled Morgan out because Rodriguez, who had just scored on the play, grabbed Morgan around the waist and pushed him back toward the plate.

Kennedy then singled home Harris for a 12-5 lead and Bernadina later homered to right-center.

NOTES: Morgan batted eighth for the first time this season. … St. Louis RHP Ryan Franklin (stiff neck) was unavailable. … Washington first base coach Dan Radison and LHP Scott Olsen were ejected for arguing the interference call against Desmond. … Nineteen of the 56 runs Lohse has allowed this season have come in the third inning.