Nationals game blog: Nats face tall test with Cardinals

By Josh Land

Nationals

August 31, 2015, 4:43pm

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ST. LOUIS - Fighting for their playoff lives, the Nationals are set to begin a three-game set against the National League Central division-leading Cardinals, owners of the best record in the majors.

Gio Gonzalez is 0-3 with a 10.22 ERA in his last three starts, but the left-hander holds a 2-1 career mark against the Cardinals with a 0.93 ERA in four starts.

The Cardinals send right-hander John Lackey (11-8 2.92 ERA) to the mound. Lackey is coming off seven innings of one-run ball in a 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks last Wednesday.

The Nationals tagged Lackey for five runs over 5 2/3 innings, but the Cardinals added two runs late to win 7-5 on April 22 in D.C. Yunel Escobar, who returns to the lineup tonight, delivered a three-run double off Lackey in that game.

"They don't make mistakes, generally, behind their pitching staff, which allows them to get deeper in games and hold the other team down," manager Matt Williams said of the Cardinals. "So it's a challenge for us. But we come into this series swinging pretty good offensively. So hopefully, that'll counteract some of their success as well. We have to do little things right."