Cardinals at Nationals
The St. Louis Cardinals are proving they can win regardless of venue, as they followed a very successful homestand with an eighth win in nine outings to begin their seven-game road trip. The surging Cardinals look to continue their rapid ascent on Tuesday when they face the Washington Nationals in the second contest of their four-game series.
Yadier Molina extended his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games with an RBI single to cap a six-run fifth inning in Monday's 6-3 win over Washington. The nine-time All-Star is 21-for-64 with 19 RBIs and seven runs scored during his hitting streak entering Tuesday's tilt versus right-hander Anibal Sanchez, against whom he is 3-for-11 with a homer. Adam Eaton had a two-run single in the third inning for his first RBIs since April 17, but the Nationals mustered just three other hits en route to their fourth loss in five outings. The 30-year-old Eaton is 3-for-3 with two RBIs against veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright, who will get the nod on Tuesday.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FS Midwest (St. Louis), MASN (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Adam Wainwright (2-2, 3.96 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Anibal Sanchez (0-3, 6.00)
Wainwright snapped a two-start skid on Wednesday after allowing one run on four hits in six innings of a 5-2 victory versus Milwaukee. The 37-year-old's lone run came via the long ball, marking the third time he has been taken deep in his last three starts. Wainwright boasts an 8-4 record with a 3.38 ERA in 15 career appearances (13 starts) against Washington, with Anthony Rendon (1-for-13) struggling mightily.
Sanchez endured his worst start of 2019 on Wednesday after permitting season-high totals in runs (six), hits (nine) and walks (five) in a 9-5 setback at Colorado. The 35-year-old Venezuelan bids for his first win of the campaign when he faces St. Louis, against which he struck out a season-high nine batters in his last meeting in September while still a member of the Atlanta Braves. Sanchez owns a 2-3 mark with a 3.22 ERA in seven career outings versus the Cardinals, with Matt Wieters (6-for-15 two homers, six RBIs) and Paul Goldschmidt (4-for-10) enjoying success while Marcell Ozuna is 0-for-6 against him.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rendon has sat out seven of Washington's last eight games with a sore left elbow.
2. Ozuna is batting .310 with eight homers, 23 RBIs and 19 runs scored over his last 16 games.
3. Nationals C Yan Gomes is 5-for-11 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored in his last four contests.