The underdog Washington Nationals are leaving Houston with a commanding 2-0 lead in the World Series after hammering the Astros 12-3 in Game 2. Now the NL champions are two wins away from becoming World Series champions for the first time ever with the series shifting back to DC for the next three games, if necessary.
How They Won the Game
The Nationals and Astros were deadlocked in a 2-2 tie through six innings. Both teams had scored a pair of runs in the first inning but neither could cross homeplate in the five innings that followed.
That is until Kurt Suzuki hit a moonshot of a home run off Justin Verlander to lead off the seventh inning. Then the floodgates opened, as the Nationals rallied for a six-run inning to take a commanding 8-2 lead. They would tag four more runs, including three in the eighth to bust open a 12-2 lead that led to an ultimate win.
Patient Nationals Ripped Down Astros Aces
While Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg each allowed two earned runs in their starts in the World Series, the Nationals were able to do more damage against the Astros dynamic duo of Gerrit Cole and Verlander.
Washington’s offense hung five earned runs on Cole through seven innings. Then they hung four on Verlander through six innings. Forget the surge by the Nationals and meltdown by the Astros in the seventh and eight innings of Game 2, it’s been the way the Nationals have been able to rip into Houston’s co-aces.
Houston, you have a huge problem, if the Nationals starting pitchers are going to outdo the Astros starters.
Strasburg Was Good Enough
Strasburg had to grind through six innings and 114 pitches. It wasn’t his best work, but it was good enough to outduel Verlander. He overcame runners in scoring position in the third and fourth inning. And in the sixth with two runners on, following one-out double and walk, he struck out Kyle Tucker to get out of the jam to keep the game tied at 2-2.
That was huge, because the Nationals havd their huge six-run rally in the next frame. And a spent Strasburg was able to exhale as the bullpen helped shut the door.
Nationals Bullpen Came Through When Needed
In most cases a 8-2 lead for a bullpen is all assured a win. Not the Nationals. They entered the postseason with the worst bullpen ERA during the regular season. And in Tuesday’s Game 1, they allowed the Astros to chip away to get within one run.
Not Wednesday night for Game 2. Fernando Rodney overcame a lead-off walk in the seventh to shut the door without a blemish in the seventh. Tanner Rainey, who struggled out of the bullpen in Game 1, breezed through the eighth, shutting down any chance of a remarkable comeback.
It has to be a sigh of relief for Nationals manager Dave Martinez that he got a good outing from his bullpen without going to his main two horses Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson.
Nationals Are Road Warriors
The Nationals have now won 18 of their last 20 games tracing back to the final weeks of the season.More importantly they have dominated on the road in the postseason. After back-to-back wins in Houston, the Nationals are 6-1 on the road with six consecutive wins away from Nationals Park.
Much like in the NLCS when they took the first two games in St. Louis, the Nationals have an opportunity to sweep back at home.
