The Washington Nationals are heading back to Washington with a 2-0 NLCS lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Nationals won Game 2, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium behind a dazzling start from Max Scherzer.
Scherzer held St. Louis without a hit for six innings on Saturday, one day after Anibal Sanchez carried a no-no into the eighth inning. Paul Goldschmidt broke up the no-hit bid to lead off the seventh inning. Scherzer allowed just three baserunners (on two walks and Goldschmidt’s single) with 11 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings.
Michael Taylor’s towering solo homer in the third was the game’s only run for a while. The Nationals tacked on two in the eighth when Adam Eaton doubled home Matt Adams and Trea Turner. That double chased St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright, who finished with 7 1/3 innings, seven hits, three earned runs, one walk and 11 strikeouts.
The Cardinals fans in Busch Stadium desperately tried to coax a rally after Paul DeJong’s two-out single in the bottom of the eighth and nearly made it happen. Carlos Martinez hit what should’ve been a lineout to dead center, but Taylor badly misjudged it and Martinez ended up on second with a 3-1 score. Dexter Fowler flew out to end the threat, though.
Patrick Corbin got Kolten Wong and Daniel Hudson would shut the door and the Nats have a 2-0 NLCS lead with Stephen Strasburg and Corbin lined up for Games 3 and 4, respectively.
Relive Game 2
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