Nats a win away from World Series
WASHINGTON — Stephen Strasburg took his turn silencing the Cardinals’ struggling bats, Howie Kendrick doubled three times and drove in three runs and the Nationals moved a victory away from earning Washington’s first World Series appearance in 86 years with an 8-1 rout to take a 3-0 lead in the National League Championship Series.
After Nationals starters Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer flirted with no-hitters in the first two games of the series, Strasburg wasn’t quite that untouchable. He allowed a double in the second inning, six later singles and one unearned run.
Still, Strasburg was rather dominant for much of his seven innings, striking out 12 and finishing off each one with an offspeed pitch. He is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 22 innings this postseason.
‘‘I’ve seen him kind of transition into the guy he is now, dominant out on the field,’’ Kendrick said. ‘‘He’s definitely having fun in the clubhouse. It’s special to see what he’s doing this year.’’
The Cardinals, meanwhile, haven’t been able to hit in this NLCS. They have a grand total of two runs and 11 hits through three games. The Nationals’ three starters have a combined ERA — of 0.00.
‘‘We’ve got to get a lead at some point in this series,’’ Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. ‘‘Hard to win a game if you can’t get a lead. We’ve got to figure out a way to create some offense early in the game and be able to hold it there. It’s the first time our pitching hasn’t been able to contain this offense. I’m confident we’ll be able to do that [in Game 4].’’
The Nationals will go for the series sweep Tuesday, sending left-hander Patrick Corbin to the mound against Cardinals rookie right-hander Dakota Hudson.
If the Nationals win, they will become the first team from Washington to reach the World Series since the Senators lost to the Giants in five games in 1933.