Talk about a game the Nationals wouldn’t have won in the prior five years. The Cardinals had a 6-3 lead on the way to the bottom half of the eighth inning, and that was the point when the Nationals’ bats woke up in a big way. James Wood, slowly coming alive after a rough start to the season, came up and blasted a game-tying three-run shot to center field to even the game at six. Two batters later, Brady House picked a great time to hit his second home run of the season, a go-ahead two-run shot to make it 8-6. CJ Abrams would follow with a solo shot, giving the Nationals a 6-run eighth inning — and a 9-6 lead that would be the final count in tonight’s game.
The Action
The Nats broke out of the dugout strong tonight, as starter Zack Littell posted an impressive zero in the top of the first, and then the Nationals scored two in the bottom half of the inning to take an early 2-0 lead. The runs came in on an RBI groundout by Daylen Lile and later an RBI single by Nasim Nunez.
Littell was tremendous tonight. He did a great job of limiting traffic on the bases, and once they did get on base, not a single Cardinal reached scoring position until the fifth inning. He also featured some strikeout stuff, an element of his game that was not present in his first outing in Philadelphia. The Cardinals finally got on the board in the fifth, loading the bases with one out. Even then, Littell did a nice job of limiting the damage, as St. Louis only got one, coming on a groundout by Alec Burleson.
- Andre Pallante: 5 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs (2 earned), 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, 88 pitches
- Zack Littell: 5 innings, 4 hits, 1 run (1 earned), 3 walks, 6 strikeouts, 70 pitches
Things took a sharp turn for the worse in the top of the sixth when Blake Butera went to the bullpen. Ken Waldichuk came in, and three batters later, the lead was gone, and the Cardinals had taken a 3-2 advantage after Ramon Urias went to center field with a two-run home run.
One thing the Nats’ offense has done very well this year is respond to punches thrown by the other team, and in the bottom of the sixth, they did just that. Jacob Young tied the ballgame right back up, roping an RBI double into left field to score Jose Tena and tie the game at 3.
Waldichuk’s struggles continued as he was left in for the top of the eighth. Jordan Walker took a fastball at the top of the zone and deposited it over the right field fence for an opposite-field go-ahead solo homer. The Cardinals scored two more later in the eighth against Andre Granillo, the first via an RBI double by Urias, who had a three-hit night tonight. The second run came on a bunt by Victor Scott, on which the Nats took the out at first base, allowing the run to score. That gave St. Louis the 6-3 lead headed to the bottom of the eighth.
In what might be my favorite Nationals’ offensive half inning in a long time, the three homers by Wood, House, and Abrams that we talked about at the beginning of this article completely flipped this game on its head. What looked like a sure loss and another bullpen collapse turned into a highlight reel inning that gave the Nats a 9-6 lead on the way to the ninth.
Hats off to Blake Butera, who showed Cionel Perez some serious trust tonight — the day after he played a big role in the Nats blowing the game yesterday against the Dodgers. After the game, it was widely discussed that the Dodgers had picked up on Perez’s pitches and were relaying signals to the batters, a major confidence hit for most pitchers. Butera put Perez right back on the bump tonight in a big situation with a chance to fix himself and get a much better taste in his mouth, and he did just that. A scoreless top of the ninth from Cionel was the last step in finishing off one of the wins of the year for this team.
The Positives
On top of Littell’s excellent start tonight, I think a lot was revealed about Butera and his heart for his players in how he handled the Cionel Perez situation tonight. The simple act of getting your struggling pitcher right back on the bump the day after a disastrous outing, showing him “I still believe in you,” does so much to boost a player’s confidence. I remember my first varsity game in high school, as the closer I allowed one run in the last inning of a game we won by six, and was not given another opportunity for a very long time. That kind of managing can and did really mess with a pitcher’s head, and I was so impressed with Butera for protecting his pitcher tonight.
Offensively, House was the standout performer tonight, going 3-5 with two doubles and a homer, although he was thrown out at the plate on a possible Sac Fly by Abrams that turned into a double play when House was tagged out at home and the play stood after a video challenge.
The Nats’ young third baseman is now hitting .333 on the young season, and has shown a very clear improvement from his rookie year, such a massive sign of growth for a young team needing a boost. Wood reached base four times, going 2-3 with two walks and had that home run robbing catch that was jaw-dropping — and yes, defense and hustle matters as he sprinted 99 feet to snag it from over the wall.
Millas reached three times with a hit and two walks. Jacob Young had that key RBI double and his best contact (103.3 mph exit velo, 343 feet of distance, 19 degree launch angle) of the night was an easy double or triple until he was robbed. Abrams now has a 1.019 OPS to lead the regulars on this team. One encouraging sign from the Nats at the plate tonight was that they drew seven walks in this one, a stat category that is so often a struggle for this team.
What’s next?
Game two of this series will get underway tomorrow night at 6:45. It’ll be a battle of the young aces, as the Cardinals will start their 26-year-old lefty ace Matthew Liberatore (0-0, 1.64 ERA) against the Nats’ 27-year-old righty ace Cade Cavalli (0-0, 2.79 ERA) who’s coming off of a masterful outing in Philly last Wednesday.
Down On the Farm
AAA-Rochester: Off-day today, next game is tomorrow at 6:35 at Lehigh Valley
AA-Harrisburg: Off-day today, next game is tomorrow at 6:30 vs Akron
High-A Wilmington: Off-day today, next game is tomorrow at 6:35 at Hudson Valley
Low-A Fredericksburg: Off-day today, next game is tomorrow at 6:30 at Hill City
