Wire Taps: Nationals lead NLCS 2-0; Cardinals’ offensive woes; Max Scherzer in St. Louis + more...

Tomorrow night there will be NLCS baseball in the nation’s capital. The Nationals return to D.C. with a 2-0 lead in their matchup with the Cardinals. We don’t blame you if you’re really wondering whether or not this is real life. Go read your links...

NATS BEAT:

Bullpen duo has become strength, not weak link, for Nats - (MASN)
"The weak link of the Nationals roster, it is well known, is a bullpen that ranked among the majors’ worst all season and simply cannot be trusted to close out games."

The Nationals’ unforgettable season is about to reach another level - (WaPost)
"The Washington Nationals are two wins from the World Series. And every aspect of their journey stretches credulity into a Möbius strip..."

Adam Eaton comes up big again to propel Nationals in Game 2 - (WaPost)
"Adam Eaton is showing a real knack for knocking in insurance runs in this National League Championship Series."

Nats penning winning script in pennant pursuit - (MLB.com)
"But if the manner of those victories counts, the Nationals couldn’t have written a better script."

Taylor 'huge part' of Nats' success thus far - (MLB.com)
"Off the bat, Michael A. Taylor thought José Martínez's smash was a routine bloop to center field."

Max Scherzer shines as Nationals take 2-0 series lead - (Washington Times)
"Washington is making its first appearance in the NLCS after falling four times in the first round from 2012 to 2017 and is now just two victories away from its first trip to the World Series."

Behind another gem, Nats take commanding lead in NLCS - (MASN)
"As closer Daniel Hudson put it earlier today - on a completely different, and far more important, matter: 'Hey, life comes at you fast, man.'"

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

Nationals' Max Scherzer magical again after an Anibal Sanchez gem - (ESPN)
"It was five years and 364 days ago that Anibal Sanchez sat in a dugout on a crisp October night, one day after dominating his opponent, and watched Max Scherzer do the very same thing."

Is Mike Shildt managing his Cardinals out of the NLCS? - (ESPN)
"First off, let's get this out of the way. Mike Shildt didn't bat when the St. Louis Cardinals scored 10 runs in the first inning of their division-clinching victory over the Atlanta Braves."

Vintage Max Scherzer Bests Vintage Adam Wainwright - (FanGraphs)
"After getting shut down by Aníbal Sánchez, the Cardinals offense would get no respite with Max Scherzer taking the mound for Game 2 of the NLCS."

Cardinals bats silenced, Nationals win NLCS Game 2 - (Sports Illustrated)
"The Cardinals’ three hits and one run in Game 2 marked an improvement over their one-hit shutout from Game 1, but that doesn’t mean much."

MLB playoffs: Nationals look unbeatable against Cardinals in NLCS - (USA TODAY)
"'There’s this weird feeling that comes over the dugout, comes over the bullpen, in the sixth, seventh inning of games,' says Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle..."

Nationals lead Cardinals 2-0 in NLCS as series heads to D.C. - (Yahoo!Sports)
"The St. Louis Cardinals, over the first 24 hours and 18 innings of the National League Championship Series, had amassed four base hits."

Washington Nationals OF Adam Eaton says 'Seinfeld' key to big hit - (ESPN)
"'Seinfeld' character George Costanza may have once worked for the New York Yankees, but on Saturday he was helping out Washington Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton."

Sean Doolittle: 'You're an a—hole' if you bash Daniel Hudson for choosing kid's birth over NLCS game - (Sporting News)
"If your reaction to someone having a baby is anything other than, 'Congratulations, I hope everybody's healthy,' you’re an a—hole.'"

The Cardinals Can’t Win If They Don’t Hit - (The Ringer)
"Through two games of the NLCS, the St. Louis Cardinals have four hits, which is the equivalent of about one and a third Nelly albums from the early 2000s."

The Cardinals Can Blame Their Ice Cold Offense For 0-2 NLCS Deficit - (Forbes)
"Actually, cold probably isn't descriptive enough to explain what this team has done in their last two games."

Nationals Pitching Puts an Old-School Tactic on the Cutting Edge - (The New York Times)
"For all the new wisdom in baseball, some theories stay timeless. One in particular guides Mike Rizzo in building annual contenders for the Washington Nationals."

Aaron Boone's mom wants the Washington Nationals to make the World Series - (NY Post)
"The proud mom of Yankee manager Aaron Boone is rooting for another team to make the World Series — the Washington Nationals."