Three wins, three stellar starting performances. The Washington Nationals starters are dominating the NLCS and doing so at a historic rate.
Washington’s starters have pitched 21 2/3 innings allowing zero earned runs and nine hits while striking out 28 batters and walking three.
Game 1, Anibal Sanchez held the St. Louis Cardinals hitless through 7 2/3 innings before Jose Martinez broke up the no-hitter bid with a single. Sanchez finished the night, allowing one hit, walking one and striking out five on 103 pitches. The Nationals won 2-0.
Game 2, Max Scherzer held the Cardinals hitless through six innings before Paul Goldschmidt dropped a single in front of Juan Soto. Scherzer shut the door on any other chance before turning over the ball to the bullpen. He allowed one hit, walked one while striking out 11 in seven innings. The Nationals won 3-1.
Game 3, Stephen Strasburg didn’t keep the Cardinals hitless for long. However, he was just as good, allowing only an unearned run off a Soto error in the seventh. He then shut the door and got out of a jam without anymore damage. He allowed zero earned runs, seven hits, no walks, and struck out 12 in seven innings. The Nationals cruised to an 8-1 win to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.
Thanks to great starting pitching, the Nationals have outscored the Cardinals 13-1 through the first three games. They’ve made history in the process.
The Nationals entered the series with a huge advantage at starting pitching. And they’ve clung to it throughout the series, alleviating their struggling bullpen in the process. Now, they are one win away from clinching their first-ever pennant for the World Series.
