Astros buckle in the seventh, Nats secure 2-0 series lead in convincing fashion


By Logan Perrone
Minute Made Park in Houston was left in stunned silence following Wednesday night’s Game 2 of the World Series, as Washington breaks out in a blowout 12-3 victory.
Like in Game 1, both clubs sent out All-Star caliber pitching to the mound, with the Astros handing the ball to Justin Verlander and the Nationals trusting Stephen Strasburg. And, just like in Game 1, the bats of both lineups produced early. 
A double in the top of the first from Adam Eaton scored two, with Houston answering right back in the bottom half of the inning with an Alex Bregman two-run blast to left. From there, Verlander and Strasburg would be lights out, with both pitchers holding the tie through the sixth inning.
The game started spiraling out of control for Houston in the seventh. Nats’ catcher Kurt Suzuki launched a lead-off homer off Verlander’s hundredth pitch of the game to break the tie.
“He doesn’t make many mistakes” Suzuki said. “When you get a pitch to hit you can’t miss it.”
The Nationals would explode for five more runs in the seven, three in the eighth and one in the ninth, while the bullpen would allow only two hits in the same time span.
Despite great starting pitching on both rosters, the series has forced both teams to dip into their bullpens. Thus far, the series had featured twelve relievers who have tossed a total of twelve innings. Hitters from both the AL and NL champs have been jumping on pitchers early, leaving them with high pitch counts in the middle innings. 
For Houston, the disappointing start to the series is quite the surprise, as their odds to win the series were one of the greatest of any world series in the last decade. Their Cy Young frontrunners have gotten smacked around by the relentless Washington lineup and the bullpen has failed to stop the onslaught. 
For the Nats, they have been on fire at the dish. They have twenty-one hits and eighteen runs, hitting up and down the lineup consistently. They are also riding an eight-game win streak, tied for the longest in postseason history, while also having now won eighteen of their last twenty.
The series shifts to Washington D.C. Friday, marking the first Fall Classic game played in the Capital in 86 years. Anibal Sanchez is scheduled to face off against Zack Greinke, with first pitch set for 8:07 p.m. ET.
Edited by Emma Moloney | ehm3gd@mail.missouri.edu

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