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...

Finally, this crowd had something to cheer about. More than 45,000 fans waited for a reason to explode all game yesterday. The Cardinals took a lead in the top of the first, piled on in the second and then never looked back. The largest crowd in Nationals Park history never got a chance to let loose. They sure did in the second inning today, when Adam LaRoche ripped a solo homer to center to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead. LaRoche fouled off three straight 3-2 pitches and then roped a 92 mph...

The Nationals hope they get a chance to have Gio Gonzalez pitch here Friday. That would mean they won Game 4 of the best-of-five National League Division Series. And that would be just fine with the cool, calm and confident Gonzalez. He has been that way since he arrived in D.C., and he is certainly not going to change now. Always smiling, always giving credit to his catcher and his defense, never taking credit for anything he did. And he won 21 games in a Cy Young-esque first season for the...

NEW YORK - Orioles manager Buck Showalter didn't overhaul his lineup or do any tweaking for Game 4 of the American League Division Series. Meanwhile, Derek Jeter will serve as the Yankees' designated hitter tonight. Alex Rodriguez moves down to fifth in the order. For the Orioles: Nate McLouth LF J.J. Hardy SS Chris Davis RF Adam Jones CF Matt Wieters C Jim Thome DH Mark Reynolds 1B Ryan Flaherty 2B Manny Machado 3B Joe Saunders LHP For the Yankees: Derek Jeter DH Ichiro Suzuki LF Mark...