The Washington Nationals host the St. Louis Cardinals, with pitching prowess on the hill for both sides, in the second game of an important four-game set between teams with playoff aspirations on Friday.
Adam Wainwright, who is 13-10 with a 3.63 ERA, will face Gio Gonzalez, who is sporting a 16-7 record and 3.28 ERA in a meeting of high-end starters. Gonzalez will try to follow Edwin Jackson's pristine eight innings of one-run, 10 strikeout pitching in last night's 8-1 Nationals victory.
The Cardinals' offense was stymied all night by Jackson on Thursday, scoring their lone run on a throwing error by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman in the eighth.
Washington, on the other hand, was sparked by their top of the order duo of Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper, who combined for two home runs, four hits and five RBIs on Thursday.
The Nationals are 5.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, while St. Louis is battling for a N.L. Wild Card berth, currently sitting in the second spot with the Pittsburgh Pirates trailing by only a half game.
First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.