Wainwright catches playoff fever once again
When October baseball returns to St. Louis on Sunday, Adam Wainwright will get the ball for the Cardinals again. Just like he has for so many big games over the past 14 years.
It was almost a much different picture. If not for one December trade back in 2003, Wainwright might be pitching for Atlanta in Game 3 of the NL Division Series.
The 38-year-old Georgia native, who was selected by Atlanta in the first round of the 2000 amateur draft, will make his 13th postseason start when the Cardinals take on Mike Soroka and the Braves in the first postseason game in St. Louis in four years.
“Feeling that playoff buzz in the crowd when the games are actually going on, you can never replace it or replicate it any other place in life that I’ve seen,” he said. “It’s just a feeling that is beyond compare. So I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited to be back in the playoffs.”
The NL East and Central champions split the first two games of the best-offive series in Atlanta. Paul Goldschmidt homered to help St. Louis rally for a 7-6 victory in the opener, and Mike Foltynewicz pitched seven sparkling innings in Atlanta’s 3-0 win in Game 2.
Two days after Foltynewicz’s dominant performance, Soroka takes the mound for the Braves. St. Louis, a regular October playground before its longest drought in two decades, might not seem like the best spot for a playoff debut, but Soroka is no ordinary pitcher.
The 22-year-old right-hander went 7-1 with a 1.55 ERA in 16 road starts this year, compared with 6-3 and a 4.14 ERA at home. He allowed one earned run in 13 innings in two May starts against the Cardinals, including six innings in a nodecision at Busch Stadium.
For a long time, Wainwright was hoping to pitch in big games for Atlanta. He was a prep star in Brunswick, Georgia, when he was drafted by the Braves with the 29th overall pick in 2000.
He had just finished a solid season at Class AA Greenville when he was shipped off to St. Louis with Jason Marquis and Ray King for J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero.
Dodgers vs. Nationals: The Washington Nationals turned a bullpen day for one of their aces into a postseason game day, and they may run more starters out for spot stints as a bridge to their unreliable relievers.
Max Scherzer took an unexpected turn in relief during Washington’s 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night, helping to even the bestof-five series at a game apiece. It was his fourth career postseason relief appearance and came after a commanding performance from Stephen Strasburg on the shortest rest of his career.
The move may force the Nationals to bump Scherzer, their scheduled starter for Game 3 on Sunday, back to Game 4. But with Washington leading the 106win Dodgers on the road, manager Dave Martinez wagered the one-inning outing was his best bet to fly home with a win.
“You can see it in Max’s eyes that he was ready to dominate,” closer Daniel Hudson said.
Scherzer’s appearance Friday night may signal a shift. After starting in Tuesday’s NL wild-card game, the 35year-old was scheduled to throw a bullpen as part of his between-start routine. Martinez simply had Scherzer get his work in during the game.
“I felt I could really go one inning and recover from that,” Scherzer said.