Sánchez to start Game 3, Corbin could relieve again (Nats win 12-3)

HOUSTON - Aníbal Sánchez will start Game 3 of the World Series, a reflection not only of the Nationals' confidence in the veteran right-hander but also evidence of their continued willingness to use Patrick Corbin out of the bullpen if the opportunity arises.

Manager Davey Martinez had been holding off naming a Game 3 starter, in part because he wanted to see if Corbin was needed in relief in the first portion of this series against the Astros. The left-hander indeed entered from the bullpen for the sixth inning of Game 1 on Tuesday night, retiring three of four batters faced on 21 pitches to help bridge the gap from starter Max Scherzer to late-inning arms Daniel Hudson and Sean Doolittle.

Some questioned at the time whether Martinez might leave Corbin in to pitch the seventh inning as well, but he instead turned to Tanner Rainey, who recorded only one out and surrendered a home run to George Springer.

By limiting Corbin to one inning, though, Martinez left open the possibility he could pitch again in relief in Game 2 tonight. Which, it turns out, is entirely possible.

"He's going to go throw today, and we'll see how he feels after he plays catch," Martinez said. "These guys, they're all in. And this is based on a conversation I have with them every day. We'll see how he feels after he throws."

Even if he's not used tonight, Corbin won't make his first World Series start until at least Game 4 on Saturday night at Nationals Park. That assignment isn't locked in yet, though, with Martinez declining to name a starter yet.

That perhaps raises the possibility that Corbin could again be considered for relief work in Game 3 on Friday. What would that mean for Game 4? The Nationals added Joe Ross to their roster for this series. Could they decide to give the ball to someone who hasn't previously started a game this postseason?

"Yeah, it could be," Martinez said. "Yeah, we'll see. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. But like I said: Tonight is the game I worry about. Let's focus on tonight."

Stephen Strasburg starts tonight, lining up Sánchez to take the mound Friday night for the first World Series game played in Washington since 1933. The 35-year-old will be pitching after an extended layoff; he last appeared in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 11.

Martinez has no concerns about Sánchez's ability to return sharp after all the time off.

"With him, no," the manager said. "He throws a lot. He threw a (simulated) game and got up to 80 pitches between his bullpen work and the sim game. He's ready to go. He's had this happen before to him, and it didn't seem to affect him. So he gets it. He's a professional. He kept himself ready. He's been engaged this whole time."

Update: So about that great pitching matchup tonight ... that didn't hold up for long. Certainly not during a first inning that saw both starters give up two runs. The Nats jumped on Justin Verlander, with their first three batters all reaching base (Trea Turner via walk, Adam Eaton via single, Anthony Rendon via two-run double off the left field wall. So just like that, the visitors held a 2-0 lead and left the ballpark in stunned silence. But the Astros stormed right back in the bottom of the first, with three straight hits off Strasburg. Fortunately, Jose Altuve squandered his double when he tried to steal third and was thrown out by Kurt Suzuki (a rare event, to say the least). But Michael Brantly singled and then Alex Bregman hammered a changeup over the plate to left field for a two-run homer that tied this game again. Both Strasburg and Verlander settled down in the second inning, but the tone has been set and both lineups have sent a reminder that this series isn't just about great pitching.

Update II: So much for a pitchers' duel. Strasburg gutted through the sixth inning and his teammates responded by scoring six times in the seventh to take an 8-2 lead. Strasburg was pushed to 114 pitches and escaped a two-on, one-out jam to keep the score knotted at 2-2. It didn't stay that way for long. Suzuki led off the seventh with a solo homer to left to put the Nats ahead and three batters later, Verlander was out of the game. As the frame unraveled for the Astros, Howie Kendrick had a run-scoring infield single, Asdrúbal Cabrera added a two-run single, Ryan Zimmerman's infield hit plated another and a run scored on Bregman's throwing error. Fernando Rodney is on to work the bottom of the seventh. The Nats need nine outs from their bullpen.

Update III: Eaton hit a two-run homer to right in the eighth after Robles struck out but reached first on a passed ball. Cabrera added an RBI single off reliever Héctor Rondón. It's 11-2 Nationals, and Tanner Rainey is coming in to work the bottom of the eighth.

Update IV: Michael A. Taylor crushed a solo homer in the top of the ninth for a 12-2 lead.

Update V: Javy Guerra allowed a home run to Martín Maldonado in the ninth, but the Nats win 12-3. They're leading the best-of-seven series, two games to none, heading back to Game 3 in D.C. on Friday night.