WASHINGTON -- Second baseman Daniel Murphy put himself in the Nationals' record books Saturday night with his 41st hit in May, a club record for one month. He went 1-for-4 as the Cardinals beat Washington, 9-4.
The record was held by a lot of players, according to the Nationals, and Denard Span was the last player to have 40 hits in a month for Washington, in 2014.
Murphy set the record in the second inning, when he led off against Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright and blooped a ball for a hit just out of reach of right fielder Stephen Piscotty. Murphy scored in the following at-bat on a home run by Ryan Zimmerman.
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Murphy didn't know about the record until after the game, when he said he would have taken a victory instead.
"The hits are falling for me right now," Murphy said. "I didn't hit a single ball hard tonight. It wasn't even close. Adam chewed me up and spit me out. I didn't hit a ball hard yesterday, either. Sometimes, they just fall."
Murphy, whom the Nationals signed to a three-year contract as a free agent last offseason, is batting .390 this season. In May, he is hitting .406 through 26 games.