ST. LOUIS – Braden Looper gave the lightly-regarded St. Louis Cardinals rotation its fourth straight stingy outing and Rick Ankiel hit a two-run home run in a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.

The surprising Cardinals are 3-1, two games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2006 season, and handed the Nationals their second straight loss after a 3-0 start.

AP-ES-04-04-08 2332EDT