Game 151 lineups: Nats at Cardinals

ST. LOUIS - Funny how much a team's outlook can change in 12 hours. The Nationals had reason to be nervous when they carried a slim, 3-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh Tuesday night at Busch Stadium, the possibility of falling out of the No. 1 wild card slot very much real. But then they finished off the Cardinals 6-2 and saw the Cubs lose to the Reds.

Now they report to the ballpark for today's matinee with Max Scherzer on the mound and a chance to take two of three from St. Louis. I guess this is what pennant-race drama really is like, seeing as how we've never fully experienced it before.

Scherzer once again pitches in his hometown, where he's been very successful over the years. He's got a 1.44 ERA in four career starts here and pitched seven scoreless innings in each of his previous two outings, with 21 strikeouts and two walks. He's always motivated to pitch here, and you know he'll be today.

The lineup against veteran Adam Wainwright features both Howie Kendrick and Yan Gomes, both veterans starting the day game after the night game. Hey, it's go time. The Nationals need to give themselves their best chance of winning today, and Kendrick and Gomes give them their best chance.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Busch Stadium
Gametime: 1:15 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (outside D.C. market), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 85 degrees, wind 4 mph right field to left field

NATIONALS (83-67)
SS Trea Turner
RF Adam Eaton
3B Anthony Rendon
LF Juan Soto
1B Howie Kendrick
2B Asdrúbal Cabrera
CF Victor Robles
C Yan Gomes
RHP Max Scherzer

CARDINALS (84-67)
CF Dexter Fowler
2B Kolten Wong
1B Paul Goldschmidt
LF Marcell Ozuna
3B Matt Carpenter
C Yadier Molina
SS Paul DeJong
RF Tommy Edman
RHP Adam Wainwright