Stephen Strasburg struck out 12 in seven innings, and Howie Kendrick had two two-out RBI doubles, and the Washington Nationals are now on the brink of a first-ever World Series appearance.
The Nats defeated St. Louis 8-1 in Game 3 of the NLCS Monday at Nationals Park, taking a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Strasburg notched his third win of the 2019 postseason, giving up just an unearned run on seven hits, on a season-high 117 pitches.
Washington took the lead with a four-run two-out rally in the third off Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty, getting the first run on an Adam Eaton RBI single, followed by a pop-fly double off the bat of Anthony Rendon that scored Eaton from first.
Juan Soto walked to put two on, and then Kendrick ripped a two-run double to right-center to put the Nats up 4-0.
Flaherty had been one of the best pitchers in the NL in the second half, going 7-2 with a 0.91 ERA after the All-Star break, giving up three runs in just three of his 17 starts, including two in the Cards’ NLDS win over Atlanta.
Back-to-back RBI doubles by Kendrick and Ryan Zimmerman off St. Louis reliever John Brebbia made it 6-0 after five.
Victor Robles, in his first game since going down with an injury running the bases in Game 2 of the NLDS, led off the sixth with a solo homer to right-center to make it 7-0 Nats.
The Cardinals got their only run of the night on a throwing error by Soto in the seventh, but Strasburg was able to get out of a two-on, one-out jam thereafter with strikeouts of Matt Wieters and Dexter Fowler.
Kendrick got on with his third double of the night in the seventh, and Zimmerman picked up his second RBI hit of the night, a single, to make it 8-1 Washington.
Patrick Corbin (14-7, 3.25 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 10.6L/9) will get the ball for Washington in Game 4 on Tuesday, facing St. Louis starter Dakota Hudson (16-7, 3.35 ERA, 7.0K/9).
Story by Chris Graham
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