By Adam Zielonka - The Washington Times - Thursday, October 24, 2019

After Game 2 of the World Series opened with a pair of runs for both sides in the first inning, Stephen Strasburg and Justin Verlander settled down for a long stretch. Which ace would crack first?

The answer: Verlander. And even when he was taken out, things only got worse for the Houston Astros.

The Washington Nationals hung six runs on the Astros in the seventh inning to break Game 2 wide open and go on to win easily, 12-3.

Catcher Kurt Suzuki led the inning off with a towering solo shot:

After Verlander followed that up by walking Victor Robles, he was pulled for reliever Ryan Pressly. Pressly walked Trea Turner and Adam Eaton advanced them on a sacrifice bunt.

Anthony Rendon flew to center, but Astros outfielder George Springer got off a quick throw to home plate to ensure Robles wouldn’t try to score. But that only held off the inevitable.

Juan Soto was intentionally walked to bring up Howie Kendrick with two outs and the bases loaded, and Kendrick’s grounder could have spelled the end of the inning. Instead, third baseman Alex Bregman couldn’t quite pick it up cleanly, so Washington’s second run of the inning scored. Despite the bobble, it was ruled a single and an RBI for Kendrick.

That was crucial for keeping things alive. With the bases still loaded, AsdrĂșbal Cabrera did this:

Two more runs made it 6-2. Next up was Ryan Zimmerman, who grounded to third. Again, a clean out would have ended the inning. Here’s where Bregman’s throw went:

It was that kind of night for the Astros. By inning’s end, Washington was in control with an 8-2 lead.

The Nationals now take a 2-0 lead home to the District, and the World Series could be over as soon as Saturday.

• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.

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