NLDS: Washington Nationals bounce back with 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals – Part 4
The St. Louis Cardinals, after winning the last two games of the National League Division Series, seemed all set to take title home. But little did they know surprises awaited them as Jayson Werth smashed a solo homer in the crucial ninth inning to give the Washington Nationals a 2-1 victory.
At Nationals Park, the Cardinals charged Lance Lynn – the St. Louis starter, to pitch as closer here, a move that did not pay off. While things seemed going in the Cardinals’ favour, Werth’s homer thwarted the Cardinals’ bid to clinch the NLDS title – at least in Game 4.
For Lynn, Werth indeed demonstrated a quality game here.
"He battled that whole at-bat, and I was making good pitches, making my pitches, and you know, he won," Lynn said. "It was just a matter of time. I was challenging him, and he was up for it."
Carlos Beltran had smashed a sacrifice fly in the third inning to level the score after Adam LaRoche of the Washington Nationals had homered in the first inning.
But as the game remained tied until the eighth inning, Lynn’s coming in the ninth inning hardly helped achieve the result that the Cardinals were hoping for. With Werth smashing the homer, he tied Nelson Cruz’s most post-season homers since 2004.
As the Nationals won the crucial game, the Cardinals hardly seemed deterred, looking forward to the final encounter, the Game 5 of the National League Division Series tied by 2-2, where Adam Wainwright had to make the start.
While Wainwright was envisaging victory for the Cardinals in the Game 4, he – nonetheless, was prepared for any outcome of it. He was looking forward to the challenge lying ahead for him.
He said, "Every competitor's dream is to go in huge moments like that, so I look forward to the challenge."
For second baseman Daniel Descalso, the team had the capability to write a winning script here.
"We've got a lot of veterans in this clubhouse that have been in big spots before and have lost games and know how to bounce back," second baseman Daniel Descalso said. "We've done a good job of that lately, and we're going to try to do it again tomorrow." And they did it.
With the Game 5 on the horizon, the Cardinals came prepared and turned the tide in their favour – like they had always done.
However, the night belonged to the Nationals as they managed to fight back and take a decisive victory over the Cardinals. The Nationals were not going to go out without a decent fight and the Cardinals were now aware that they definitely have a serious series on their hands.
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