After heading 13-3-1 at the first two weeks of the playoffs, now we hit a speed bump each night at the opening game of the National League Championship Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals. I believed that the Nats could be physically drained and mentally after a brutal five-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Washington used all three of their top starters in relief sooner or later in the show, and to me, it felt like they were planning to utilize game you to break their pitching staff, also place their rotation for the remainder of the string, rather than move to extreme lengths to win the game, since they were compelled to do against LA..
They began Anibal Sanchez in game , because their starter. Most teams do not even take four starters in the playoffs, so the fact they turned into Anibal made me sense that they were planning to ride him before the wheels fell off. And then they did just that. The part that I did not see coming, though, was that Sanchez could be unhittable. Literally unhittable, as he had a no-hitter heading until Jose Martinez struck it up in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Nationals have been petrified to visit their bullpen and with Sanchez pitching into the eighth inningthey did not need to. This is the greatest they have their cake and eat it also scenario for Washington. They stole home-field benefit away all at one time and were able to rest starters and their bullpen up. Now they all of the sudden possess the Cardinals on the principles since they have ace starter Max Scherzer going tonight in game two, and when St. Louis cant knock off Mad Max, then they are going to be down 0-2 at home, along with the string is essentially over.
Its hard to overestimate what a massive operation that last night was turned in by Sanchez, and at this time, Id head out on a limb to say that the Nats are the prohibitive favorites to win the National League pennant. We will stay right here using all the NLCS.
The St. Louis Cardinals find themselves at a must-win situation tonight in home after dropping game one of the NLCS to Washington. St. Louis should discover a way to knock off Washington tonight as home underdogs, or that series has a opportunity to be finished before it ever really gets started. For Washington, the Nationals would like to knock off the Cardinals in back to back matches and head home with a 2 games to none series lead.
Starting for the Nationals is Max Scherzer (1-0 2.77 ERA), also for the Cardinals it is Adam Wainwright (0-0 0.00 ERA). The match total over-under is set at seven and a half runs. The Nationals are -128 street favorites. First pitch is scheduled for 1:08 PM PST in Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Max Scherzer has done all that has been requested so far. Start and win the wild card game from a Milwaukee Brewers team that is blazing-hot? Check. Come from the bullpen in a enormous spot on the street and close down a match? Check. By pitching seven innings of both one-run ball start and win from the Dodgers in an elimination match? Check.
Its tricky to be much superior than Scherzer has been inside this postseason as the Nationals have won in, and he has only pitched in rather high-stress scenarios, where failure was not an option. Following two lengthy stints about the IL scherzer was little shaky in September, but he has recovered his skills here in the drama, and he looks a lot like the Cy Young Award winner most of us know and appreciate.
Interestingly , Scherzer has struggled this season against St. Louis. In two starts, hes allowed eight earned runs in two-thirds and thirteen of an inning and has an 0-2 record to show for this. Will Mad Max be in a position to keep his mad run on the road throughout the playoffs tonight? I believe so.
The Cardinals will look to match Scherzer with veteran Adam Wainwright. Since the thirty-eight-year-old tossed seven and two-thirds of shutout baseball wainwright came up completely enormous for the Cardinals from Atlanta. But to mepersonally, that performance was a bit fluky. This guy didnt have a year since double-digit games were lost by him. And I am not certain he is the man I would have gone to in a place. I could have gone with Dakota Hudson or left the decision to sit Jack Flaherty down in game five against Atlanta after they scored ten runs.
Thats the elephant in the room in this series. Jack Flaherty is undoubtedly the best that the Cardinals have so far as starting pitching moves. They started him but when they jumped out to an insurmountable lead, they decided to go with Flaherty. And not to get an inning or two, they pitched him that whole first five, and now he is not available until match three. When it may be too late for St. Louis.
St. Louis will pay for this choice tonight, because they have a lopsided pitching matchup involving a man that hasnt been elite because 2014, going against a guy that just may be the best pitcher in the league at this time. I believe Scherzer is powerful tonight. If this team cans shut down, I cant imagine what Scherzer is going to be effective at. And while Wainwright might be adequate, you cant expect him to go toe to toe using Scherzer all match long.
In the end, I think Washington takes care of business tonight and carries a enormous series lead. The Cardinals had to win with Washingtons number four guy on the mound. Instead they let him damn close no-hit them. Now they must face some combo of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, also Patrick Corbin and has to conquer all three of them. I simply dont see that happening. Give the Washington Nationals to me as road favorites from St. Louis laying -128!
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