Chris Carpenter missed nearly the entire regular season after having a bizarre surgery to remove a rib, and he threw just 17 innings over his three starts prior to the playoffs.
But the Cardinals won't put any limit on their veteran right-hander today as he pitches in Game 3 of the best-of-five National League Division Series.
"We plan on going in and just watch him as he goes," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said today. "And he's a pretty fair evaluator of himself as well. But we...
Today's Nationals and Cardinals lineups look exactly the same as the ones we saw in the first two games of the National League Division Series - with the exception, of course, of new pitchers.
The Nationals will send Edwin Jackson to the mound for Game 3. He'll oppose Cardinals righty Chris Carpenter, who made only three regular season starts this season but is the franchise's all-time leader in postseason wins.
For the Nats:
RF Jayson Werth
CF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam...
Anything going on today? Anyone got any afternoon plans?
Myself, I'm thinking about just going back to sleep and hitting the links a little later on. Maybe I'll stop by Bed Bath & Beyond. I don't know; I don't know if I'm going to have enough time.
What's that? Today will mark the first big league postseason game in D.C. in 79 years, a sellout crowd will be on hand to watch and the Nationals have a chance to move within one win of the National League Championship Series?
OK, I guess...
There's plenty to have our eyes on tomorrow.
Chris Carpenter is starting for St. Louis despite making just three regular season appearances this season. The Nationals are trying to improve on their .188 average with runners in scoring position in this series. Washington appears practically unable to touch Cardinals flame-throwing rookie reliever Trevor Rosenthal (whose stuff Bryce Harper referred to today as "fuego").
It all could factor in tomorrow afternoon.
But in my mind, no storyline...
Nationals Park has undergone some minor playoff renovations while we've been gone.
There are new banners gracing the top of each dugout - one that reads "#Natitude" on the visitors' dugout, and another that reads "October Natitude" on top of the Nationals' dugout. The MLB Postseason logo has been painted onto the grass down the first- and third-base lines, and bunting has been added to the facades of the second and third decks.
Red towels will be handed out to fans tomorrow, and if...
Major League Baseball has announced the start times for Games 4 and 5 of the National League Division Series between the Nationals and Cardinals, and the schedule will bring the Sun Monster into play on Thursday.
Game 4 is currently set to begin at 4:07 p.m., on Thursday, although it could be moved back an hour to 5:07 p.m., if the Tigers-Athletics series has ended by then.
Essentially, if the Tigers, who hold a 2-0 lead in that series, win tonight or tomorrow, the Nats-Cardinals will play...
ST. LOUIS - After three days in chilly Missouri, it's back to the DMV.
I'm waiting at my gate for a 7:45 a.m. CT flight, which should get me back home just in time to shower, hop in my car and head to Nationals Park for today's optional workout and media availability. The Nats got home late last night and will take the field today, take some BP and get treatment on various bumps and bruises.
We'll hear from Edwin Jackson after the workout, the guy who will get the ball for the Nats...
ST. LOUIS - Bryce Harper, who is 1-for-10 with six strikeouts over his first two career postseason games, was asked after today's game whether he feels like he's overanxious at the plate or trying to do a bit too much.
"You think I'm overanxious? You think so?" Harper asked the reporter, who responded in the affirmative. "Well, you should be our hitting coach."
Harper delivered a big double in the seventh inning to give the Nationals a chance to get back into the ballgame, but he was...
ST. LOUIS - It didn't really matter who was on the mound for the Nationals today.
Four of the seven Nats pitchers gave up at least a run. All but Ryan Mattheus allowed at least a baserunner.
The Cardinals teed off this afternoon, jumping out big and not easing up.
"They have a great lineup. It's tough," said Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann. "You get a few guys out, then you look up and you've got (Carlos) Beltran coming up, (David) Freese. It just never stops. Their lineup, you...
ST. LOUIS - As I try and move past the fact that someone asked Davey Johnson postgame whether Stephen Strasburg, who is not on the Nationals' roster for this series, can "offer something" in Games 3 or 4 ...
The Nationals got hit around pretty hard today in St. Louis. They were touched up for 12 runs on 13 hits, seven of which went for extra-bases. Every starting Cardinals position player reached base, and all eight of them scored a run.
Yesterday, in a Game 1 win, the Nats saw a patient...
ST. LOUIS - The Nationals will head back to D.C. needing to win two out of three games at home.
And they'll do all they can to put the memory of this shellacking behind them.
The Cardinals took Game 2 of the National League Division Series by a score of 12-4 today, evening the best-of-five series in what was close to a must-win game for them.
After going down in order in the first inning, the Cards jumped all over Nationals pitching. They knocked Jordan Zimmermann from the game after just...
ST. LOUIS - The first two innings of this game have been an exact replica of the first two innings yesterday.
Only this time, it's the Cardinals with the wild left-handed starter with a pitch count over 50 and the Nationals missing the chance to put their opponent in a big early hole.
Jordan Zimmermann got the Nats on the board in the second inning today, dropping a single into right field off Jamie Garcia after Zimmermann had faked a bunt and pulled the bat back.
Ian Desmond, who was on...
ST. LOUIS - The Nationals will face Cardinals left-hander Jaime Garcia today, something that might have spelled bad news for Adam LaRoche in the past.
Traditionally a significantly better hitter against right-handed pitching, the left-handed hitting LaRoche has really improved against lefties this season.
Not only did he hit .268 against lefties this season, but he also had 11 home runs and an .825 OPS off southpaws in 188 plate appearances. When you factor in the sample size, those are...
ST. LOUIS - Jordan Zimmermann isn't going to try and trick himself into believing he's been in a spot like this before.
He pitched collegiately at the University of Wisconsin Stevens-Point, a Division III school, and while he threw in the 2007 College World Series in front of about 5,000 fans, he's aware today's start in Game 2 of the National League Division Series is a far different animal.
"I don't think there is anything close to this," he said.
That might be the case, but no one...
ST. LOUIS - Danny Espinosa battled a bone bruise in his left shoulder down the stretch this season, an injury that really put him in a rut at the plate.
The Nationals' second baseman got a cortisone shot on Sept. 17, and it helped him turn things around for a stretch, as he hit .400 over his next seven games. Over his final nine regular season contests, however, Espinosa's struggles returned. He batted just .103 with 12 strikeouts in 29 at-bats, and then went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts...
ST. LOUIS - Except for the pitchers, the lineups for today's Game 2 of the best-of-five National League Division Series at Busch Stadium are exactly the same as those from Game 1.
Here's the Nationals batting order that will face St. Louis' Jaime Garcia:
RF Jayson Werth
CF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
LF Michael Morse
SS Ian Desmond
2B Danny Espinosa
C Kurt Suzuki
P Jordan Zimmermann
Zimmermann will face this lineup from the Cardinals:
CF Jon Jay
RF Carlos Beltran
LF...
ST. LOUIS - Just a couple days ago, there was talk that going on the road to start the postseason was a disadvantage for the Nationals.
Instead of starting at home, the top-seeded Nats have their first two National League Division Series games here in St. Louis because of MLB's scheduling quirks, and that was thought to be a negative.
Some fans worried that if the Nats dropped both games in St. Louis, they'd suddenly return home with their backs against the wall, with a sweep staring them...
ST. LOUIS - Just to recap today's ballgame for all those who were stuck in a cave somewhere all afternoon: National League Cy Young Award candidate Gio Gonzalez walked seven hitters, the Nationals struck out 13 times, left the bases loaded twice and made two errors in the final three innings.
Oh, yeah, and they won 3-2.
"I don't really know how we won that game, to be honest," reliever Craig Stammen said with a smile creeping onto his face. "But we pulled it out somehow. That's kind of...
ST. LOUIS - Remember all the talk about the vast difference in playoff experience in this National League Division Series? How the Cardinals had an edge over the Nationals because they'd been through all this before? How the Nats might be affected in big spots because of the added pressure that comes with late-inning, playoff situations?
"It obviously didn't affect us," reliever Ryan Mattheus said after today's 3-2 Nationals win.
Nope, it sure didn't. That isn't to say that experience...
ST. LOUIS - Where to begin?
The Nationals took us all on a ride this afternoon, battling their way to a 3-2 win over the Cardinals in Game 1 of the best-of-five National League Division Series, despite seven walks from starter Gio Gonzalez, 10 runners left on base, two errors and 13 strikeouts as an offense.
This game was bizarre as could be. It all started with Gonzalez, who somehow allowed only one hit despite completely lacking control of his fastball. The Nationals ace had perhaps his...
