Though they face them only a couple of times a year, no NL opponents has befuddled the Nationals more than the Cardinals. Forget even, if you can, the 2012 NLDS. In the two years since that playoff series, the Nats have gone 2-11 against St. Louis, hardly inspiring numbers.
Obviously, the Nationals don’t have to beat the Cardinals to win the NL East. But there’s a decent chance they’ll have to beat them sometime in October, should they get back there again. So tonight’s the first opportunity to see how these two teams stack up head-to-head.
It’s Gio Gonzalez on the mound for the Nats, coming off an erratic performance (though still a winning one) six days ago in Boston.