Page 20 - AT

A20 SPORTS
Wednesday 16 OctOber 2019
Strasburg Ks 12, Nats top Cards 8-1; 1 win from World Series

By HOWARD FENDRICH offs three years later to pro-
AP Sports Writer tect his surgically repaired
WASHINGTON (AP) — More right elbow. Strasburg
than 100 pitches in, Ste- is now hale and hearty,
phen Strasburg was ada- throwing 117 pitches Mon-
mant he wasn't quite ready day, his most since totaling
to leave the latest superb 118 in a May 2017 game.
start by a Nationals pitcher And this sort of October
against the St. Louis Cardi- excellence is what the
nals in the NL Champion- Nationals were hoping
ship Series — a win that put for: Strasburg has a 3-0 re-
Washington on the verge cord and 1.64 ERA, with 33
of the city's first World Series strikeouts and one walk —
in 86 years. he didn't issue a free pass
It was the seventh inning, Monday — in 22 innings this
and manager Dave Marti- postseason.
nez noticed Strasburg had Much to the delight of a
flexed his right leg and red towel-twirling crowd of
reached for that hamstring. 43,675, Washington's bat-
So the skipper and a train- ters kept delivering, led by
er went to the mound to Kendrick, who has eight
check on their guy. RBIs in the past four games.
"I was trying to explain to The Nationals roughed up
him, 'Hey, you just grabbed Jack Flaherty for four runs,
your hamstring, so there's all in the third inning; he
a little concern,'" Martinez hadn't allowed that many
recalled. "He said, 'No, I in a game since July 2, a
cramped up. It's fine. I al- span of 18 appearances.
ways cramp up.' He said, Seven of Washington's
'I'm staying in the game. I eight runs came with two
want to finish this inning.' outs, and there were contri-
I said, 'You sure you're all butions from up and down
right?' He said, 'I'm in the the lineup: Victor Robles
game!'" homered in his return from
The right-hander did, in- a hamstring injury, and Ren-
deed, stay in. Even struck Washington Nationals' Victor Robles hits a home run during the sixth inning of Game 3 of the base- don heard "MVP!" chants
out the next two batters to ball National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday, Oct. 14, 2019, after a slick defensive play
raise his total to 12 Ks, each in Washington. and an RBI double.
finished with an off-speed "We haven't been able to
pitch. Strasburg took his have a combined ERA — York Giants in five games. those guys, those horses, play our brand of base-
turn silencing the Cardinals' no calculator necessary for The nation's capital owns that take the ball every ball in full," Shildt said. "We
struggling bats, Nationals this one — of 0.00. only one MLB champion- fifth day," said Ryan Zim- haven't been able to get
postseason star Howie Ken- Yes, that's zero-point-zero- ship; the Senators won merman, who drove in two in rhythm or sync, but we
drick doubled three times zero. all the way back in 1924. runs. "They haven't disap- still have more baseball to
and drove in three more "We expected better," said There wasn't even a base- pointed, obviously, in the play."
runs, and Washington took Kolten Wong, who went 0 ball team at all in Wash- postseason, but they've TRAINER'S ROOM
a 3-0 lead in the best-of- for 4 on Monday and is 0 for ington for more than three kind of been the backbone Nationals: Robles, the
seven NLCS by beating St. 10 in the series for St. Louis. decades until the Montreal of this team all year." Nationals' center fielder,
Louis 8-1 Monday night. Now it's Patrick Corbin's Expos franchise moved to Against Sánchez in Game missed five postseason
"It's a little surreal," reliever chance to see if he can town before the 2005 sea- 1, the first hit for the Cardi- games with a strained right
Sean Doolittle said about match his rotation-mates. son and was renamed the nals arrived with their 27th hamstring he hurt in Game
being one win from the The $140 million lefty will Nationals. batter. Against Scherzer in 2 of the NLDS.
World Series, "and I think start for the Nationals in Until this season, the Na- Game 2, it was their 21st UP NEXT
that's why it's important Game 4 on Tuesday night, tionals hadn't won a play- batter. But even when the Corbin took the loss in each
that we don't look too far when they can close out off series, going 0-4 since Cardinals did something of Washington's two de-
ahead." a sweep at home. Rookie 2012, but they sure look as right against Strasburg, feats this postseason. One
After Nationals starters right-hander Dakota Hud- if they're making up for lost they erased it by doing was a start — in Game 1 of
Aníbal Sánchez and Max son will be on the mound time. something wrong. the NLDS, when he allowed
Scherzer flirted with no-hit- for the Cardinals. "Shoot, maybe we're fi- Their fourth batter, Marcell just one unearned run with
ters in the first two games "We've got to get a lead nally coming around," third Ozuna, doubled to the left nine strikeouts — and one
against the Cardinals, at some point in this series. baseman Anthony Rendon field corner in the second, came in relief. Corbin also
Strasburg wasn't quite that Hard to win a game if you said. then quickly erased himself came out of the bullpen to
untouchable: He allowed can't get a lead," St. Louis How about this current run? with some poor baserun- retire one Cardinals batter
a double in the second in- manager Mike Shildt said. The Nationals, who found ning, going too far toward in Game 2 of the NLCS on
ning, six later singles and "We've got to figure out a themselves at 19-31 in late third on a comebacker Saturday. In his only post-
one unearned run. way to create some offense May, have won 15 of their and getting tagged out by season start, in Game 4 of
Still, the Cardinals, quite early in the game and be past 17 games, stretching Strasburg, who is enjoying a the Cardinals' NLDS against
simply, can't score in this able to hold it there." back to the last week of postseason to remember. Atlanta, Hudson allowed
NLCS: They have a grand Washington hasn't put a the regular season. He was the No. 1 overall one earned run in 4 2/3 in-
total of two runs and 11 baseball team in the World It all starts with the pitching. pick in the 2009 amateur nings and did not factor
hits through three games. Series since 1933, when the "That's what our team is draft, then was infamously in the decision as St. Louis
Washington's three starters Senators lost to the New built around. You have shut down before the play- won 5-4 in 10 innings.q