7th straight win nets Nats home-field WC edge

WASHINGTON -- An elimination game at home with Max Scherzer on the mound.

That’s what the Nationals secured for themselves with Saturday’s 10-7 victory over the Indians, a season-high seventh win in a row that locked up home-field advantage in Tuesday’s National League Wild Card Game. The Nats cruised to victory thanks to a nine-run second inning -- highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of the suddenly red-hot Gerardo Parra -- that gave the Nats a commanding lead they would never relinquish.

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“Obviously, we would like to play here other than anywhere else,” first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. “We're just happy to be in and at this point. We're going to have to win games everywhere in all situations. [We're] obviously really happy and excited to play here, but at the end of the day, we're going to have to win everywhere."

Parra’s third career grand slam -- and second during his 88-game tenure with the Nationals -- put an exclamation point on an inning in which the Nats sent 12 batters to the plate, knocking Indians starter Adam Plutko out of the game after he recorded only four outs, and sending a sold-out crowd of 38,435 into a frenzy with the loudest “shark claps” of the season.

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It’s exactly the kind of scene the Nationals hope to see on Tuesday night, when they’ll host either the Brewers or Cardinals in that winner-take-all game.

“We’re ready to play anybody, anywhere,” Scherzer said prior to Saturday’s game.

And these Nationals look ready, especially as they have bludgeoned the competition during this final homestand. Washington has won seven straight games in the past six days and nine of its past 10, eliminating both Philadelphia and Cleveland from postseason contention.

The lineup has been clicking, paced in the past two nights by Parra, who started in center field with Victor Robles out of the lineup with an illness. Parra had been mired in a nearly monthlong slump, going 4-for-52 from Aug. 12 through Thursday, with one extra-base hit and no RBIs. But in the past two games, he has five hits, two homers and eight RBIs.

“He’s started to swing the bat really well the last couple days,” manager Dave Martinez said. “Perfect timing.”

Even the Nationals’ uneven bullpen has been excellent during this seven-game winning streak, pitching to a 1.90 ERA with 22 strikeouts and five walks in the past 23 2/3 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .138 batting average.

“We’ve been playing really great baseball,” left-hander Patrick Corbin said. “Offense came out today hot, and the bullpen came in and did their job, too. We’re hot at the right time, and hopefully guys can get some rest here the next couple days and be ready to go Tuesday at home.”

Corbin endured a rocky ending to his 2019 season, giving up six runs in 4 1/3 innings after gaining the big advantage early. He threw 94 pitches before being pulled from the game, as Martinez did not want to push him much further, keeping an eye on his availability for Tuesday, when the Nats expect both Corbin and Stephen Strasburg to be available out of the bullpen.

Strasburg has never pitched out of the bullpen in any of his 242 career games in the Majors, including the postseason, but stated he is open to take the ball in whatever role he is needed. The same goes for Corbin, who would be pitching on three days' rest on Tuesday, although he does have experience pitching in relief, during his rookie season and during the 2016 season.

“I’ll be ready to go if my name's called,” Corbin said. “It’s a do-or-die game Tuesday, so it’ll be exciting.”