What does Jayson Werth remember about his game-winning, walk-off home run off Lance Lynn in the bottom of the ninth inning, a homer which gave the Nationals new life in the best-of-five National League Division Series and let them play one more day? Not a whole lot. "It's almost like I blacked out," Werth said after the game. "A Will Ferrell moment." The pieces Werth does remember are brief flashes. The 2-2 curveball from the hard-throwing Cardinals reliever that bent just out of the...

I don't know where to begin. I'll get to quotes from the walk-off hero, the starting pitcher who threw the game of his life with the pressure of an entire organization on his shoulders and all the other guys who contributed in between. First, here's Davey Johnson. The Nationals skipper said both after last night's blowout loss and before today's must-win Game 4 that he had no reason to doubt that his team would come through in a big spot. They entered today's game confident despite the...

Before each game, Ian Desmond goes through a pregame drill that's part intense practice, part comfortable ritual. He grabs batting practice pitcher Julian Martinez, renowned as the best fungo hitter among the Nationals' field staff, and gets him to slap short pop flies to shallow left field. Just past third base. Along the left field line. To the no-man's land beyond shortstop and not quite into the beginning of left-center that's hard for anyone to cover. "I practice it every day,"...

Through three games of the best-of-five National League Division Series, the Nationals' bullpen was used early and taxed late. You got the feeling that the relief crew really didn't get to show what it was really made of after 27 innings. But in Game 4, that all changed. Eight strikeouts in three innings effectively capped the St. Louis offense with the score tied. And it helped lead to a 2-1 Nationals win over the Cardinals, as Washington survives to play another day. Game 5 is set for...

NEW YORK - After going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position last night, the Orioles are 0-for-6 through three innings tonight in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. Forget playing in Yankee Stadium. The Orioles have ventured into The Land of Missed Opportunities. Nate McLouth drew a leadoff walk against Yankees starter Phil Hughes in the top of the first inning, and he moved to second base on J.J. Hardy's bunt single. Chris Davis, Adam Jones and Matt Wieters flied out to kill...

NEW YORK - Left fielder Nate McLouth didn't rush back to his hotel room last night and stare at highlights from the Orioles' Game 3 loss to the Yankees in the American League Division Series. He didn't plop down on his bed with the remote and channel surf until he came upon SportsCenter, which kept replaying Raul Ibanez's two home runs. McLouth had a good reason, besides not wanting to relive the pain. "Well, my wife is on this trip, so I can promise you we're not watching many...

Tonight's live blog: We're under way as we close in on the first pitch of Game 4. Check in here often when you can and please leave a comment and/or question. I'll add some content throughout the night and respond to your questions. Where's the offense?: It seems there is a school of thought going around that one, or more likely, both teams may break out on offense tonight and that Game 4 of the American League Division Series could be high scoring. In the series so far, the Yankees have...

NEW YORK - The first question directed at Orioles manager Buck Showalter during today's pre-Game 4 interview session went as follows: "What's the mindset of your guys after last night?" Showalter's response: "To win." "Got to win a game," he continued. "We've been in this position before, and you know, see how it turns out. Our guys are the same ... in a good frame of mind. I always take a little pulse check. Not a whole lot going on different. But no, I feel good about where they...

With the game tied 1-1 after six innings and Ross Detwiler done for the day after a stellar outing in the biggest game of his life, Nationals manager Davey Johnson has made an interesting decision. Instead of going to his bullpen and calling on Ryan Mattheus, Craig Stammen or one of his other right-handed relievers to work the seventh, Johnson is going to Jordan Zimmmermann, his Game 2 starter. Today is Zimmermann's throw day, and Johnson said he wouldn't hesitate to use him if Detwiler got...

Heading into April, experts predicted big things for the Nats due to their strong pitching staff. However, those lofty expectations were exceeded as the Nationals finished with a 98-64 record. The team clinched a playoff berth on Sept. 20, and later the division on Oct. 1. While many fans believed as early as spring training that the District would be represented in October, others referred to specific moments when they were able to put the label "the real deal" on the Nationals. From the...