ST. LOUIS -- Five days ago, the Washington Nationals boarded a cross-country flight bound for Los Angeles. They packed their suitcases optimistically, not knowing where they were headed next or when they¡¯d be back home.
By Saturday evening -- after Max Scherzer had flirted with history in a 3-1 victory over the Cardinals in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series at Busch Stadium -- the Nationals finally had those answers.
And they couldn't have possibly drawn up a better October trek than this one.
It wasn¡¯t merely the fact that Washington ousted the Dodgers to close out the Division Series, then beat the Cardinals twice in St. Louis to open the NLCS. Obviously, the results couldn¡¯t get any better.
But if the manner of those victories counts, the Nationals couldn¡¯t have written a better script. Consider this:
? The fact that it was An¨ªbal S¨¢nchez who dominated in Game 1 means that two of the nominal big three -- Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin -- are lined up for Games 3 and 4 in D.C.
? Aside from Sean Doolittle, the Nationals¡¯ bullpen didn¡¯t really have to work all that hard. Corbin faced one hitter on Saturday and Daniel Hudson -- who missed Game 1 while on the paternity list -- faced two.
Throw in the fact that S¨¢nchez threw only 103 pitches and Scherzer needed just 101, and that¡¯s an awfully fresh pitching staff.
? They¡¯re healthy. Kurt Suzuki returned behind the plate on Saturday after exiting Game 5 of the NLDS in Los Angeles after he was hit by a pitch. Meanwhile, Victor Robles is approaching a return from his right hamstring strain. The Nats weren¡¯t even forced to rush him back into action. Michael A. Taylor, Robles¡¯ replacement in center field, went deep on Saturday.
From the outside, it¡¯s hard to envision things going any better for the Nationals. But they want to make it clear that there¡¯s no point celebrating that fact.
¡°It¡¯s nice going back up 2-0 in the series,¡± said Washington manager Dave Martinez. ¡°But those guys are really good over there. The series is far from over. ¡ My message after the game was still, ¡®Hey, 1-0 every day.¡¯¡±
The Nationals are rightly keeping their focus on the present. But history points positively toward their first World Series appearance in franchise history.
Teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series have gone on to with that series 70 of 83 times (84 percent). In series with the current 2-3-2 format, teams that win Games 1 and 2 on the road have secured 21 of 24 victories. The last team to overcome such a deficit was the 1996 Yankees, in the World Series against Atlanta.
Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright, who was outdueled by Scherzer on Saturday, acknowledged the Nationals¡¯ decisive edge. But he¡¯s been around long enough to know that the series is still young.
¡°We¡¯re down 2-0, and that¡¯s why we play a best-of-seven [series], right?¡± Wainwright said. ¡°They¡¯re going to bring out all the stops, and they have a pretty strong advantage right now. They won two games at our place. We¡¯re going to try and do at least that at theirs.¡±
The Cardinals have just the man for the job, too. Newly minted ace Jack Flaherty will take the ball for St. Louis in Game 3 opposite Strasburg. Flaherty posted a 2.77 ERA with 16 strikeouts in two Division Series starts -- following a second half during which he notched an otherworldly 0.91 ERA.
If the Cardinals win that duel, they¡¯ll need one more victory to force a return trip to St. Louis. Needless to say, the Nationals do not want to fly back here.
¡°Same mindset,¡± Corbin said. ¡°Just try to win Monday. They¡¯re a great team, and they¡¯re here for a reason. We can¡¯t step off the pedal.¡±
In some ways, this is uncharted territory for the Nationals. Their backs have been against the wall since May when they started the season 19-31. After rallying to reach the postseason, they faced a three-run deficit in the NL Wild Card Game against Milwaukee. Then, Washington fell behind after Games 1 and 3 of the Division Series and trailed the Dodgers 3-0 in Game 5.
Suddenly, everything has changed. The Nationals -- long regarded as the playoff underachievers who needed five tries to advance past the Division Series -- are now heavy favorites for a trip to the Fall Classic.
They¡¯re doing their best to pretend that isn¡¯t the case.
¡°The reason we played so well is probably because we have a little bit of urgency,¡± Hudson said. ¡°To be able to get ahead like this, I think we still have to keep our foot on the gas pedal and not think that if we lose one this week, it¡¯s going to be good -- or not bad -- for us. We still have to go out there and be aggressive with these guys ¡ and put them away.¡±
After a nearly flawless trip to St. Louis, two more wins would do the trick.