The first three games of the NL Championship Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals have been an embarrassing display on the Cardinals’ part.
Since exploding for ten runs in the first inning of Game five of the NL Division Series against the Braves, the Cardinals have scored two runs in three games against the Nationals. It’s difficult to believe that the same team who scored ten runs in the deciding Game five is now the same team batting so poorly in the NLCS.
They still have at least one more game to play, but have been completely shut down by the Nationals’ rotation, which hasn’t allowed a run in 21.2 innings of work. Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer, and Stephen Strasburghave led the Nationals to a prime position as they try to clinch their first World Series appearance in franchise history.
The Nationals’ two runs this series have come off of Nationals misplays, as two outfield errors have caused Cardinals runners to cross home plate. The last time a team had such a futile offense in a playoff series was the 1966 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles scored two runs as they got swept four games to none behind the arms of Dave McNally and Jim Palmer.
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Meanwhile, the top of the Cardinals order has been in disarray, as the 1-2-3 hitters Dexter Fowler, Kolten Wong, and Paul Goldschmidthave hit 1-33 cumulatively.
“It starts with me,” says Goldschmidt, who slugged 34 home runs this season. “I haven’t really done anything this series and the results speak for themselves, especially tonight.”
The Nationals will send lefty Patrick Corbin on the mound for Game 4 on Tuesday night. Corbin struck out 11 and allowed no runs when he faced the Cardinals last month. St. Louis looks to survive one more night and find rhythm for its offense while starting Dakota Hudson. The game will be at Nationals Park at 8:05 p.m. EST on TBS.
