By Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch –
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals’ offense had every opportunity to take Game 1 of the National League division series from the Washington Nationals until their defense gave the Nats the only opportunity they needed.
Two unearned runs in the eighth inning flipped a Cardinals lead and gave the Nats a 3-2 victory Sunday afternoon at Busch Stadium.
The win gives them a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
Pinch-hitter Tyler Moore delivered a two-out, two-run single to right field in the top of the eighth inning to reverse the Cardinals’ one-run lead. The inning wasn’t over because of a fielder error that opened the inning and put relievers Mitchell Boggs and Marc Rzepczynski in a bind with the tying run at third base. The Nats used their pinch hitters to take Boggs from the game and create a more favorable matchup—Moore, a righthanded batter, against Rzepczynski, the lone lefty in the Cardinals bullpen. Moore poked a base hit to right field that flipped the score.
Drew Storen pitched a perfect ninth to clinch the win, striking out Matt Holliday for the final out of the game.
The Cardinals received 11 baserunners from the Nationals by way of a walk, a hit batter, or an error.
They stranded 10 runners.
They went 0-for-eight with runners in scoring position.
Their only runs scored on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.
Adam Wainwright pitched 5 2/3 innings and left with a 2-1 lead. He became the first pitcher in postseason history to strike out 10 in a start that did not reach six innings. He’s the first Cardinals starter with at least 10 strikeouts in a single playoff game since Bob Gibson in 1968.
The Cardinals got their two runs before they had a hit.
Nats starter Gio Gonzalez walked seven batters in his five innings, and four of them came in the second inning. The Cardinals used those walks, one wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly to conjure two runs.
They clung to that lead until the top of the eighth.
A failure to turn a bases-loaded, no-outs opportunity in the bottom of the seventh, relapsed on the Cardinals in the top of the eighth when Pete Kozma’s error opened the way for Moore’s pinch-hit.
Game 2 of the division series is Monday at Busch at 3:30 p.m.
