FREESE FRAME: Nationals rookie phenom Bryce Harper sits stunned in the dugout after the Cardinals rallied from a 6-0 deficit, capped by David Freese and Daniel Descalso (inset) scoring on Pete Kozma’s two-run single in the ninth inning to beat Washington 9-7 and win the NLCS last night. (
)
WASHINGTON — If you believe the Nationals are headed to the NLCS, then Dewey really did defeat Truman.
The Cardinals were up to their old tricks Friday night, absolutely refusing to quit on a season when the odds were stacked against them. The defending World Series champions live to play the Giants for the NL pennant, and the Nationals are finished, after squandering a two-run lead in the ninth inning and losing 9-7 to the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS before a stunned crowd of 45,966 at Nationals Park.
The Nationals led 6-0 after three innings, but folded as Daniel Descalso was delivering a two-run single against Drew Storen to tie the game in the ninth before Pete Kozma put the Cardinals ahead for the first time with a two-RBI single.
It was reminiscent of last year’s Game 6 of the World Series against the Rangers, when the Cardinals were twice down to their last strike, but rallied to win before taking Game 7.
”It’s just the kind of people they are,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “They believe in themselves. They believe in each other. It’s been this style of team all season long. They just don’t quit, and I think it says a lot about their character.”
This time it was Yadier Molina and David Freese down to the last strike before each drew a walk, loading the bases and keeping the dream alive. Descalso and Kozma then followed with consecutive singles to steal the lead.
Carlos Beltran started the winning rally with a leadoff double in the ninth. Beltran finished 3-for-3 with two walks and batted .444 in the series. Asked how it felt to win this kind of game, after 4 1/2 rough seasons to conclude his Mets career, Beltran answered by dousing New York reporters with champagne.
”That was a great game,” Beltran said.
After winning 98 games for the best record in the major leagues this season, not advancing to at least play for the NL pennant can be deemed a disappointment for the Nationals.
”It was a fun ride, a lot of character,” Nationals manager Davey Johnson said. “I really enjoyed managing them this year. I’ve been on the other end of the stick where you’re just one out [away], you move on. We couldn’t get it.”
But the Cardinals’ 13-month magic carpet ride continues. It’s a whirl that includes rallying from 10 1/2 games back in the wild-card race in the final four weeks of the 2011 season before mounting a surprising October run and defeating the Rangers in the World Series. This season the Cardinals earned the NL’s second wild card and beat the Braves in a play-in game to reach the division series.
Trailing by six runs after three innings last night, the Cardinals added another chapter to the storybook by methodically pecking at the Nationals’ lead. Descalso’s homer leading off the eighth against Tyler Clippard pulled the Cardinals within 6-5, but the Nationals got a much-needed insurance run on Kurt Suzuki’s RBI single in the bottom of the inning.
Home runs by Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper and Michael Morse to allowed the Nationals to grab their 6-0 lead.
Edwin Jackson allowed a run in the seventh that cut the Nationals’ lead to 6-4, but struck out Freese with the tying runs on base to end the inning and keep the Cardinals chasing.
Gio Gonzalez appeared ready to flush a five-run lead in the fifth inning, but barely survived. After walking Allen Craig to force in a run and pull the Cardinals within 6-3, the lefty retired Molina with the bases loaded to end the inning. Gonzalez walked three batters and threw a wild pitch in an inning that started with Descalso’s double.
Gonzalez’s final line included, three earned runs allowed over five innings on five hits with four walks and five strikeouts. It came after a turbulent Game 1 start in which the lefty walked seven batters over five innings, but allowed only two runs.
Adam Wainwright was finished after pitching 2 1/3 innings in which he allowed six earned runs on seven hits and three homers. Morse’s two-run blast in the third gave the Nationals a 6-0 lead and ended Wainwright’s night.
Harper, who entered the game in a 1-for-18 (.056) rut this postseason, homered leading off the inning. Harper’s RBI triple in the first inning had accounted for the game’s initial run.
The big hit in that first inning was Zimmerman’s two-run homer that gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead. Jayson Werth — who won Game 4 with a ninth-inning homer against Lance Lynn — doubled in the first inning and scored on Harper’s triple before Zimmerman unloaded for his second homer of the series.
* Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera has been reinstated by Major League Baseball after serving a 50-game suspension for a positive testosterone test, but he will not be part of San Francisco’s roster for the NLCS, which begins tomorrow.