Adams redeems miscues with contributions at plate

WASHINGTON -- While it was a largely forgettable defensive series for Matt Adams, the Cardinals first baseman found a bit of redemption with his offensive contributions.

On Thursday, those included a tiebreaking single to left off Nationals ace Max Scherzer with two out and two on in the sixth. Jason Heyward scored on the hit, giving Adams his third RBI in two games and helping push the Cardinals toward a 4-1 win over the Nationals.

"He's aggressive with his heater," said Adams, who had an RBI double and home run a night earlier. "I just missed one my first at-bat, so I was going up there ready for the fastball. I got one middle-away that I was able to put a good swing on."

The hit came an inning after Adams goofed on defense. Taking a throw from shortstop Jhonny Peralta, Adams pulled his foot off the bag before the ball was in his glove. First-base umpire Doug Eddings initially ruled the runner (Scherzer) out, though replay quickly reversed the call.

Video: STL@WSH: Nats challenge out, overturned in 5th

"Not a good play on my part," Adams said afterward.

Adams, a typically sure-handed defender, committed three errors in the 20 innings he was in the field this series. In Tuesday's loss, he muffed Jayson Werth's routine foul popup in the eighth inning of a one-run game. Given the second chance, Werth then singled. An inning later, Adams fumbled on a ground ball. It left Jordan Walden having to work out of a bases-loaded spot.

"He's a good defender," manager Mike Matheny said. "He's got great range. But these times happen. That was more, I think, he was thinking about the next play. He was thinking about the throw across the field, and in the meantime, one slipped away."

Last year, Adams ranked second among all National League first basemen with eight Defensive Runs Saved. He committed nine errors at the position.