St. Louis knows grown-and-flown star Max Scherzer. Now they need to beat him to avoid a deep hole in the NLCS. (Susan Walsh/AP)
Game 2 preview
Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals (Washington leads 1-0)
When: 4:08 p.m
Where: Busch Stadium in St. Louis
TV: TBS | TBS.com
Starting pitchers: Max Scherzer (11-7, 2.92 ERA) vs. Adam Wainwright (14-10, 4.19 ERA)
The Washington Nationals won Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on the road with their fourth starter (Aníbal Sánchez) without his personal catcher (Kurt Suzuki) and the starting center fielder (Victor Robles) and closer (Daniel Hudson). Now, seeking to bring a 2-0 lead back to Washington, they send their ace (Max Scherzer) to the mound, probably with his personal catcher (Suzuki), to pitch in front of his hometown crowd which might fire him up (by not showing any pleasantries).
[Max Scherzer’s catchers have a story to tell]
The Nationals understand the stakes and know what it would mean to return home with that kind of lead. But to get there, they must go through Adam Wainwright, the diminished but dangerous Cardinals starter who was once a perennial Cy Young Award contender. The right-hander relies on his big, 12-to-6 curveball more than 36 percent of the time, and he complements it with a sinker (24.7), a cutter (22.4) and four-seam fastball (14). He’ll throw a change-up every once in a while. Wainwright joked it’s “like Christmas” to compete with Scherzer.
“We have similar games,” Wainwright said. “We’re both attacking with high-velocity fastballs at the top of the zone and nasty sliders and change ups.”
He added: “I would love to have reinvented myself into Max Scherzer, that would have been amazing. It just didn’t work that way.”
The Nationals hope the “aw shucks” nature of Wainwright ends up with his statements realized, with Wainwright the inferior starter on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals need the opposite.
Pregame reading
Aníbal Sánchez’s near-no-hitter gives Nationals 2-0 win over Cardinals in Game 1 of NLCS. Sánchez was money through eight innings before handing his gem over to Sean Doolittle. Game 2 is Saturday afternoon in St. Louis. (Read more)
Juan Soto’s shuffle draws more scrutiny than ever against the Cardinals. The origin story of how the NLCS became a junk-holstering contest. (Read more)
When it comes to World Series droughts, D.C. is a special place for suffering. One title in 118 years? 33 years without a team? Is it too much to ask for the baseball gods to bestow a gift upon the legions of Nationals faithful? (Read more)
Miles Mikolas had a great start for the Cardinals. Just not as great as Aníbal Sánchez. To be the losing pitcher when an opponent dominates is to get no credit at all. (Read more)
Aníbal Sánchez shuts down Cardinals, puts Nationals in command of NLCS. After stealing Game 1 of the series, Washington has Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg lined up for Games 2 and 3. (Read more)
NLCS preview: Nationals’ new kids on the block meet the Cardinals’ old guard. The two lower seeds will start their battle on Friday for a chance to go to the World Series. (Read more)
These are the Cardinals and Nationals who will decide the NLCS. With the World Series four wins away, look for these players to play key roles in who gets there. (Read more)
Cardinals will use an old-fashioned weapon vs. Nationals: Defense. The Cardinals are the first team in baseball history to go from committing the most errors in one season to the fewest in the next. (Read more)
Read more about the Nationals:
Ryan Zimmerman is at the end of his deal, and it’s hard to imagine the Nats without him
Juan Soto is a very quick learner. Just listen to his English.
Anthony Rendon is relaxed and candid ahead of potentially his final run with the Nats
Max Scherzer’s approach to his last 15 pitches explains everything about him
The Capitals remain all-in on the Nationals’ magical playoff run
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/10/12/nationals-cardinals-nlcs-game-two/
2019-10-12 12:00:00Z
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