Final four: 2019 Cardinals defeat 2019 Nationals in five games

Game One: Cardinals 6, Nationals 5 (15 innings)
WP: Gant (1-0)
LP: Fedde (1-1)
Save: Hicks (1)
HR: Robles 2 (3), Ozuna (4)

Game Two: Cardinals 3, Nationals 1
WP: Gant (2-0)
LP: Doolittle (0-3)
Save: Hicks (2)
HR: Wieters (3), Goldschmidt (8)

Game Three: Nationals 9, Cardinals 6
WP: Corbin (5-0)
LP: Mikolas (2-2)
Save: Hudson (3)
HR: Wieters (4), Suzuki (2), Edman (1)

Game Four: Cardinals 8, Nationals 6
WP: Wainwright (2-1)
LP: Sanchez (1-1)
Save: Hicks (3)
HR: Eaton (2), Ozuna (5), Goldschmidt (9)

Game Five: Cardinals 4, Nationals 0
WP: Flaherty (4-1)
LP: Scherzer (4-1)

The impressive run of the 2019 Washington Nationals -- 16-2 through the first four rounds -- ended rapidly against the 2019 St. Louis Cardinals.

Game One was a bullpen-draining 15-inning marathon in Nationals Park. Victor Robles homered twice for the Nats -- a two-run shot in the second to give Washington the lead, and another in the 11th to even the score after St. Louis had taken the lead. Marcel Ozuna homered in the top of the 15th for another lead, and Jordan Hicks made it stand up. 

Paul Goldschmidt homered in the second inning of Game Two, and the Nats tied it in the sixth off Andrew Miller. The score remained 1-1 until the ninth, when Matt Wieters homered leading off against Sean Doolittle. For the second game in a row, John Gant was credited with the victory, with Hicks retiring the side in the ninth for the save.

Game Three in St. Louis was a high-scoring affair. Asdrubal Cabrera hit a three-run double in the fourth for a 4-0 lead. Wieters pinch-hit a two-run homer in the fifth, but the Nats took advantage of three walks by Gant in the sixth to score two runs and expand the lead to 6-2. Cabrera blasted a two-run homer in the eighth off Michael Wacha. The Cardinals scored twice in the ninth to force Daniel Hudson into the game but could not get a hit off him.

The Cards won their own slugfest in Game Four. Ozuna drove in four runs with a double and homer, and Goldschmidt and Matt Carpenter each drove in a pair. Adam Wainwright picked his way through five innings, and even though Miller wild pitched two runs home, the St. Louis bullpen was just good enough.

Jack Flaherty and three relievers combined for a six-hit shutout in Game Five. Ozuna scored two runs for the Cardinals. Flaherty left with one on and one out in the seventh; Tyler Webb struck out Geraldo Parra, then Giovanny Gallagos fanned Brian Dozier. John Brebbia worked the eighth and ninth innings, allowing one single and striking out five.

Player availability: No issues for the Cardinals going into the finals

Projected rotation: Flaherty-Hudson-Mikolas-Wainwright-(Flaherty)-(Hudson)-(Mikolas)