Scherzer continues the trend
He makes a no-hit bid, like Sanchez a day earlier, in Game 2 of the NLCS.
Nationals f lirt with a no-hitter for the second day in a row and win first two games in St. Louis.
WASHINGTON 3 ST. LOUIS 1
ST. LOUIS — Max Scherzer followed Anibal Sanchez’s near nohitter with a try of his own and the Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 on Saturday in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.
The Nationals lead 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Game 3 is Monday at Washington.
Scherzer didn’t give up a hit until Paul Goldschmidt led off the seventh inning with a single that left fielder Juan Soto played conservatively with a one-run lead. On Friday, Sanchez held the Cardinals hitless until Jose Martinez had a pinch-single with two outs in the eighth.
Scherzer, a St. Louis native who played at the University of Missouri, struck out 11 batters and walked two in seven innings.
“We really want to win here,” Scherzer said. “So that’s what’s going to happen, we’re going to compete and win.”
St. Louis got another solid performance from Adam Wainwright, who struck out 11 batters in 71⁄3 innings. But after getting only one hit and no runs in Game 1, the Cardinals managed only three hits against Scherzer and three relievers.
“They have a pretty strong advantage right now,” Wainwright said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in our hitters. I think our hitters are going to do something special in Washington.”
The Cardinals broke through against Sean Doolittle in the eighth inning when center fielder Michael A. Taylor misplayed Martinez’s pinch-hit liner into a runscoring double with two outs. Dexter Fowler flied out on Doolittle’s next pitch.
Patrick Corbin got the first out of the ninth before Daniel Hudson closed for his third save of the playoffs.
The Cardinals got one baserunner into scoring position against Scherzer. Kolten Wong walked with one out in the first inning and stole second base, but Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna struck out.
After Goldschmidt’s hit, Ozuna struck out and Yadier Molina bounced into an inning-ending double play on Scherzer’s final pitch.
Washington went ahead to stay when Taylor homered on Wainwright’s first pitch of the third inning.
The Nationals padded the lead on Adam Eaton’s two-run double with one out in the eighth.
“This is really, it’s not just one guy carrying this team or two guys,” Scherzer said. “It’s really just a collective of everybody out there doing their job.”