Stephen Strasburg, Nationals Use Late Eruption to Win Game 2 over Astros

The Washington Nationals are in full control of the 2019 World Series.

Washington seized a 2-0 lead with a 12-3 victory over the Houston Astros in Wednesday's Game 2 at Minute Maid Park. It will now have the opportunity to capture its first championship in franchise history by winning two of the next three at home thanks to a strong performance from Stephen Strasburg and a stunning 10 runs in the final three innings.

As for Houston, it lost a second consecutive high-profile pitching showdown on its home field and will need to win four of the next five games to take home the Commissioner's Trophy for the second time in three years.

Notable Player Stats

• Stephen Strasburg: six innings, two earned runs, seven hits, one walk and seven strikeouts
• Kurt Suzuki: 2-for-5, one home run, one RBI and one run
• Adam Eaton: 2-for-4, one home run, two RBI and two runs
• Michael A. Taylor: 1-for-1, one home run, one RBI and one run
• Asdrubal Cabrera: 2-for-5, three RBI and one run
• Justin Verlander: six innings, four earned runs, seven hits, three walks and six strikeouts 
• Alex Bregman: 1-for-4, one home run, two RBI and one run
• Martin Maldonado: 1-for-1, one home run, one RBI and one run

Strasburg Shines Brightest in Series of Pitching Stars

This series was billed as a showdown between arguably the best one-two punches in the league, and Strasburg stole the show from Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander.

Scherzer made it through just five innings in a solid Game 1, while Cole allowed five earned runs. Verlander was no match for his counterpart Wednesday, as Strasburg turned in a gem on the road despite allowing a two-run homer to Alex Bregman in the first inning.

That was all the right-hander would allow. He worked out of jams, benefited from impressive fielding behind him and mixed in timely strikeouts with just a single walk. Verlander may be the future Hall of Famer, but Strasburg once again proved he can be as dominant as anyone in these playoffs after posting a 1.64 ERA and 33 strikeouts across 22 innings in his first four appearances.

The three-time All-Star didn't back down from the moment, especially in the sixth inning when he was battling at over 100 pitches.

With runners on first and second and one out in a tie game, Strasburg induced a pop out from the dangerous Carlos Correa and struck out Kyle Tucker to end his evening on a high note. His offense rewarded him after that with a crooked number in the seventh, and a bullpen that finished last in the league in ERA during the regular season didn't even need to use the reliable Sean Doolittle or Daniel Hudson.

The late offensive fireworks won the game for the Nationals, but only after Strasburg set the tone in a hostile environment.

While the National League representative would surely love to sweep the series and not worry about coming back to Houston, it can take solace in the fact Strasburg will be up to the task no matter who he faces if it needs another monster performance on the road.

Not Even Verlander Enough to Overcome Astros' Other Flaws

There are few safer bets in sports than Verlander when a team needs a clutch performance. After all, his resume is littered with accomplishments, including an MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, World Series title, American League Championship Series MVP and eight All-Star nods.

While he has been inconsistent in these playoffs and has now allowed four earned runs in three of his last four starts, the Astros still could have won if his teammates picked him up.

Verlander settled in after allowing a two-run double to Anthony Rendon in the first inning and didn't allow any additional damage until Kurt Suzuki took him deep in the seventh. That gave the Nationals the lead, but it wouldn't have if Houston capitalized with runners in scoring position against Strasburg in the third or sixth innings.

The offensive struggles weren't even the biggest culprit for the Astros.

Ryan Pressly relieved Verlander in that fateful seventh and proceeded to give up four runs (three earned) while recording just two outs, with one coming on a sacrifice bunt. The defense also let the home team down, as Bregman couldn't make a play on a bases-loaded ground ball from Howie Kendrick and airmailed a throw on a slow roller from Ryan Zimmerman with two runners in scoring position.

Combine that effort with a wild pitch and two-RBI single from Asdrubal Cabrera, and the game was essentially over after Washington pushed six runs across the plate in the frame.

It takes strong play in nearly every facet of the game to win 107 times during the regular season, but the offense, fielding and relief pitching were nowhere to be found with Wednesday's outcome hanging in the balance.

The result is a daunting 2-0 hole even though Houston's two aces have already taken the mound.

What's Next?

The series shifts to Washington for Friday's Game 3.