Nationals vs. Astros: Game 7 Time, TV Info, Live Stream and More

Good morning, readers. Wednesday night, we get the best phrase in professional sports: Game 7. 

Behind a masterful performance by Stephen Strasburg and five RBI from Anthony Rendon, the Washington Nationals were able to keep their 2019 season alive, defeating the Houston Astros 7-2 on Tuesday night. 

Game 7 Information

Day and Time: Wednesday at 8:08 p.m. ET

Place: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

TV: Fox

Live stream: Fox Sports Go

Pitching matchup: Washington Nationals RHP Max Scherzer vs. TBD

Series score: Houston Astros 3, Washington Nationals 3

Notes

After last year's relatively dull five-game affair, this year's World Series has at least had numerous fun narrative shifts, even if the games themselves have mostly been lopsided.

At various points over the last week, both teams have been heavy favorites to win the Fall Classic.

Houston entered the series as a heavy favorite, but the tide quickly turned after the Nationals took the first two games in Minute Maid Park and needed to win just two of the next five games, three of which would be in D.C.

However, the Astros promptly swept all three games in Washington, and now it was their turn to head home with two chances to win one game and the World Series. They botched the first opportunity on Tuesday but will get another Wednesday.

We may have yet another pitcher's duel on our hands in this one. The Astros are starting former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke in Game 7, while in a wild turn of events, the Nationals will be trotting out seven-time All Star and three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer.

After being scratched from a Game 5 start due to neck spasms so severe he apparently couldn't even lift his arm, Scherzer threw off flat ground before Game 6 and flashed reporters a thumbs-up sign after doing so. Later, Nationals manager Davey Martinez confirmed his star pitcher will be the Game 7 starter.

When healthy, Scherzer has been as close to lights-out as you can be this postseason. Over four starts and a perfect one-inning relief appearance, he's 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA and 34 strikeouts in just 25 innings. He most recently started in Game 1 of the World Series, pitching five innings, allowing just two earned runs and striking out seven as the Nationals won 5-4. 

However, he'll be up against a dynamite collection of Astros hitters, who have far outpaced the Nationals hitters as a whole in this series.

Usual suspects like Jose Altuve, George Springer and Michael Brantley have smacked the ball in their typical ways, and even MVP Alex Bregman—who has ostensibly struggled to the tune of a 4-for-22 stretch—leads the team in RBI due to a Game 4 grand slam and an early Game 6 stinger. 

As we've seen time and again this year, it only takes a moment of weakness by the opposition for the Astros to get hot and break a game wide open, and that has happened three times in this series. 

On the other hand, the Nationals hitters have generally struggled outside of Game 2.

Before his breakout Game 6, Rendon was hitting just .200 in the series, and other big bats such as Trea Turner, Ryan Zimmerman and Howie Kendrick had been relatively neutralized as well. The offense has really been on the back of young phenom Juan Soto up until Wednesday night, and though he and the starting pitchers have proved more than capable of helping the Nats survive this team-wide slump, whether they'll be able to rise to the occasion for the deciding game is still in question. 

This final game of the season is likely to be a low-scoring pitcher's duel, the kind of game fans of each team will hate but agnostic baseball fans will love. There's a lot pointing in Houston's direction—general talent level, home-field advantage, and so on—but there's something about this Nationals team that feels preordained.

All postseason, they've found ways to win when that seemed impossible, and the story of Scherzer overcoming a seemingly insurmountable injury to lead the Nationals to their first World Series is waiting to be told.

Against all notions of common sense, we're picking the Nationals to win the World Series.