The Washington Nationals are two wins away from one of the biggest World Series upsets of all-time. After taking the first two games on the road, the Nationals return to DC this Friday to host the Houston Astros for Game 3. Anibal Sanchez (3.85 regular season ERA) will take the mound for Washington opposite Zack Greinke (2.93 ERA).
The Nationals started this best-of-seven series as +175 underdogs, but quickly turned into –120 favorites after beating Houston (–194 at home) 5-4 in Tuesday’s opener. Then they turned up the heat Wednesday night, taking the second game 12-3 as +158 road dogs to put the Astros’ title hopes in jeopardy. Now they’re on the verge of winning their first World Series in franchise history – and the first in Washington since the Senators (now the Minnesota Twins) back in 1924.
Sanchez has done his job thus far. He’s pitched very well during these playoffs, allowing a single earned run over 12.2 innings; unfortunately, Washington’s beleaguered bullpen could only close one of his two starts. That’s still better than Greinke’s postseason – he has a team record of 1-2, with just one quality start in three attempts. Will he be able to turn things around on Friday? Tune in at 8:07 PM ET live on FOX.
