Game 1 worked out as well as it could have for the Washington Nationals, which got seven and two thirds innings from Anibal Sanchez in a 2-0 win over St. Louis.
Now Davey Martinez can go to his ace, Max Scherzer (11-7, 2.92 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 12.7 K/9), for Game 2, with about as intact a bullpen as he could have schemed up.
Sean Doolittle did have to get the last four outs to preserve the Game 1 win, but only needed 15 pitches total to get them, meaning you could certainly go back to Doo if necessary.
Martinez also gets closer Daniel Hudson back for Game 2. Hudson missed Game 1 for the birth of his daughter early Friday.
The Cardinals go to veteran Adam Wainwright (14-10, 4.19 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 8.0 K/9) for Game 2.
Nats vs. Adam Wainwright
The current Washington roster is 43-for-158 against Wainwright, with a .272/.307/.430 slash line.
The most success
- Adam Eaton: 6-for-11, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1K
- Ryan Zimmerman: 12-for-34, 5 2B, 2 HR, 6K
- Kurt Suzuki: 4-for-13, 3K
Guys with no success
- Anthony Rendon: 1-for-16, 3K
- Howie Kendrick: 2-for-9, 1 2B
- Juan Soto: 1-for-5, 1K
Cardinals vs. Max Scherzer
The current Cards roster is 47-for-207 against Scherzer, with a .227/.253/.357 slash line.
The most success
- Matt Carpenter: 7-for-23, 3 2B, 6K
- Marcell Ozuna: 10-for-36, 2 HR, 5 2B, 10K
- Matt Wieters: 8-for-27, 1 HR, 5K
Guys with no success
- Yadier Molina: 1-for-17, 1 2B, 4K
- Paul Goldschmidt: 2-for-25, 14K
- Dexter Fowler: 5-for-27, 1 2B, 14K
- Kolten Wong: 4-for-20, 4K
Story by Chris Graham