t decision we make, Roberts said Tuesday. Clayton feels good after Game 2. Hes prepared for anything that we have for him. Hes shown the ability to adjust his routine or regimen for whatev

PITTSBURGH -- Jayson Werths wide grin belied the fact that the Washington Nationals right fielder is an old hand at clubhouse celebrations, having played on eight division-winning teams during his 14-year big league career.Werths latest crown came Saturday night when the Nationals clinched their third National League East title in five years, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-1 behind 5 1/3 scoreless innings from rookie reliever Reynaldo Lopez.Its never gets old, Werth said. Never.Stephen Drews two-run single capped a three-run first inning for the Nationals, who return to the postseason after a one-year absence. Their win ensured a playoff berth, and they won the division about 20 minutes later when the second-place New York Mets lost to Philadelphia.Its such a hard thing to accomplish, Werth said. You spent six months trying to do it. Its why you go to spring training early, so you can do everything possible to put yourself in positon to win the division.The Nationals won the division in Dusty Bakers first season as manager. He replaced Matt Williams, who fired following a 2015 season that began with high hopes of Washington reaching the World Series for the first time in franchise history.Baker had been out of the game for two years after being fired by the Cincinnati Reds following the 2013 season, four days after they lost to the Pirates in the NL wild card.Thats what I came here for, Baker said, standing in a corner of the clubhouse and watching his players celebrate. Im telling you -- let these young men have a great time tonight, back to work tomorrow. First step in a four-step process. This step is the hardest to get. Im just so happy for these guys. I love them. I love this team.Lopez (4-3) came on to the start the bottom of the fourth inning with a 6-1 lead and allowed three hits while striking out five and walking one. He was removed a runner on first and one out in the ninth inning.He was really impressive, Werth said. We still have some questions about our roster going into the postseason. Hes a great talent and if he pitches like he did tonight he can really help us.Marc Rzepczynski and Blake Treinen got one out each to end the game, and a pocket of Nationals fans behind the visiting dugout cheered.Joe Ross allowed one run and five hits over 2 2/3 innings in his second start since missing 2 1/2 months with right shoulder inflammation.Drews single came after Bryce Harpers sacrifice fly. Harper also drove in a run with a grounder during a three-run fourth that included three errors and increased the Nationals lead to 6-1. Jayson Werth hit into a run-scoring forceout and Anthony Rendon had a sacrifice fly.Wilson Ramos had three hits for the Nationals, and Drew and Werth added two each.Pittsburgh lost for the just the third time in 10 games but fell four games out of the second NL wild card with eight games remaining.Rookie Josh Bell homered in the third.Ivan Nova (12-8) lost his second straight start, giving up six runs -- three earned -- and eight hits in four innings. He had gone 5-0 in his first eight starts after being acquired from the New York Yankees on Aug. 1 in a trade.I thought he was getting into a nice spot going into the fourth inning and we more or less took him out of the game with our defense, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.TRAINERS ROOMNationals: Drew was taking the place of 2B Daniel Murphy (strained glute), who did not start for the sixth game in a row.Pirates: RF Gregory Polanco (facial bruise) sat out a day after being injured while running in the fence while chasing a fly ball. . LF Starling Marte (back strain) was not in the starting lineup for the 17h time in the last 18 games. . SS Jordy Mercer (right forearm discomfort) did not start for a third consecutive game.UP NEXTNationals: Rookie RHP A.J. Cole (1-2, 4.68 ERA) will start Sunday in the finale of the three-game series.Pirates: RHP Tyler Glasnow (0-2, 4.11) will make his third career start and first since July 23. The rookie was placed on the disabled list the following day with shoulder inflammation and has made three relief appearances since being activated Aug. 28. Cheap Minnesota Twins Jerseys . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Wholesale MLB Jerseys Authentic . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. http://www.cheapmlbjerseysoutlet.com/?tag=cheap-baltimore-orioles-jerseys .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Cheap Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. Cheap Miami Marlins Jerseys . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. LOS ANGELES -- Rich Hill never strayed from his mindset of pitching in the moment, even when he was far from the major leagues playing independent ball with the Long Island Ducks.Convinced there would be another opportunity to get back to the big leagues, he focused on executing pitches without worrying about his current circumstances.Fourteen months later, Hill allowed two hits over six innings to beat Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs 6-0 Tuesday, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 2-1 NL Championship Series lead.Its the biggest game of my career, Hill said. Its just putting in the work, putting in the time, having a routine, persevere, all those things that you can say to sum up some kind of endurance or resiliency. For me, thats all Ive ever known is just work.Rookie Corey Seager had three hits, including a go-ahead single in the third, and Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run homer in the fourth.After winning a big league-high 103 games during the regular season and sparking belief they could win the World Series for the first time since 1908, the Cubs have been shut out in consecutive games for the first time since May 2014, managing just six hits -- five of them singles. Their 18 straight scoreless innings mark the longest postseason drought in franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.More than anything, I think we need to get a couple runs and hits and runs early to try to get that kind of feeling back, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, because, obviously, when youre not scoring any runs, it makes it even more difficult in the dugout.Hill, who made two starts in the independent Atlantic League in August 2015 before signing a minor league deal with Boston , struck out six and walked two. Joe Blanton, Grant Dayton and Kenley Jansen finished. Playing their 200th postseason game, the Dodgers posted consecutive shutouts for the first time.Julio Urias starts Game 4 for the Dodgers on Wednesday and at 20 years, 68 days will become the youngest starting pitcher in postseason history. John Lackey starts for the Cubs.Hes not scared of the moment, Seager said of Urias. Hes not scared of anything.Hill was acquired from Oakland along with Josh Reddick at the Aug. 1 trade deadline. The 36-year-old left-hander struggled with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand that landed him on the disabled list from mid-July to late August. The blister still bothered him in the final weeks of the regular season, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulled him after seven perfect innings against Miami on Sept. 10, saying the team had to keep its focus on bigger goals in October.Hill was strong from the start against one of his former teams, retiring the side to open the game and later eight in a row. Hes given up one run in 23 innings over four home starts for the Dodgers, lowering his ERA to 0.39.When hes got that attitude out there, you can tell, Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. Thats when you know hes rolling, that his pitches are working, and hes doing what he wants to do out there.Seagers go-ahead single ended an 0-for-15 slide with ruunners in scoring position in postseason play.ddddddddddddGrandal was 0 for 5 with three strikeouts against Arrieta in his career before he launched a 3-2 pitch into the right-field pavilion in the fourth for a 3-0 lead. Grandal drove in Reddick, who singled and stole second and third.Hes been so good for the last couple years just because he doesnt give in, Grandal said of Arrieta. He still made a really good pitch down in the zone. I was just lucky to put a swing on it and hit it out.Justin Turner homered on the first pitch leading off the sixth to chase Arrieta, who gave up four runs and six hits in five innings. He dominated the Dodgers in his previous two starts against them, including a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 30, 2015. Los Angeles had gone 2 for 51 against him in two games.Its hard to go out there and pitch when your team is not scoring, so you try to be perfect. You cant make any mistakes. If you give up one run, that can be it, Cubs catcher Miguel Montero said. He had one of his best stuff all year, to be honest.Joc Pederson doubled in a run in the eighth and Grandal hit a run-scoring groundout .Maddon moved struggling Anthony Rizzo from third to the cleanup spot, and his broken-bat infield hit in the ninth made him 2 for 26 in the postseason. Addison Russell, dropped from fifth to seventh, is 1 for 24. Jason Heyward struck out as a pinch hitter and is 2 for 19.Chicagos 3-4-5 hitters went 1 for 11 in the game and are 2 for 32 in the series without an RBI.Dexter Fowlers two-out double in the eighth provided the Cubs first extra-base hit since their 8-4 win in the opener.Theres no doubt here, third baseman Kris Bryant said. We certainly have all the belief in the world. Its a powerful thing when you believe.With a win Wednesday, the Dodgers could try to finish the series at home.These guys won 100-some games. Theyve got the talent, so you cant think ahead, Grandal said. If you think ahead, thats when bad things happen.SHUTOUT BLUESFour of Chicagos eight shutouts this year have been against the Dodgers.KERSHAWRoberts hasnt ruled out turning to Clayton Kershaw to pitch on three days rest in Game 5 on Thursday.Los Angeles has announced rookie Kenta Maeda as its starter. Hes given up seven earned runs in a combined seven innings of his two postseason starts.In last weeks five-game Division Series against Washington, Kershaw pitched in all three wins. He started Game 1 and Game 4, on three days rest and got his first big league save in Game 5.The series circumstances will kind of dictate what decision we make, Roberts said Tuesday. Clayton feels good after Game 2. Hes prepared for anything that we have for him. Hes shown the ability to adjust his routine or regimen for whatever is best for our club.UP NEXTLackey is 8-5 with a 3.22 ERA in 24 postseason appearances. Urias will be the third consecutive left-hander to start for the Dodgers. 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