Scherzer named to start All-Star Game for NL

Scherzer named to start All-Star Game for NL
When his name wasn't included in the first list of National League All-Stars announced, Nationals ace Max Scherzer didn't fret. He's been around Major League Baseball long enough to know that other pitchers would have to be replaced because of injury or because they pitched Sunday. Scherzer was patient and awaited the call informing him of his eighth selection to the Midsummer Classic. That announcement came yesterday, and today, Scherzer was named by NL manager Dave Roberts of the Dodgers...

Dodgers' Buehler ready to face pressure of NLDS elimination Game 5

Dodgers' Buehler ready to face pressure of NLDS elimination Game 5
The Dodgers arrived at Nationals Park on Monday night hoping to punch their ticket to a fourth consecutive National League Championship Series. Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer had other ideas. So did Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon. Scherzer pitched seven innings, Zimmerman launched a home run to center field in a four-run fifth inning and Rendon had three RBIs in the Nationals' 6-1 victory in Game 4 of their best-of-five NLDS. Game 5 is in Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night with Walker...

When they most needed it, Dodgers manufacture a rally to take command of NLDS

When they most needed it, Dodgers manufacture a rally to take command of NLDS
The Nationals pitchers held power-hitting Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger to a single and a double with no RBIs on Sunday night. The only problem? Both hits came in the same inning. The Dodgers scored seven runs in the sixth inning to beat the Nationals 10-4 in Game 3 of their National League Division Series before 43,423 at Nationals Park. The Dodgers lead the best-of-five series two games to one and need one more win to advance to their fourth consecutive NL Championship Series, against...

Storylines abound as disrespected Red Sox battle title-hungry Dodgers in World Series

Storylines abound as disrespected Red Sox battle title-hungry Dodgers in World Series
The Brewers' run at making the World Series for the first time since 1982 was refreshing, but the 114th World Series that starts Tuesday has a rare storyline. The last time the Red Sox and Dodgers played in the World Series was 1916, and the Dodgers weren't even the Dodgers: They were the Brooklyn Robins, named for their manager, Wilbert Robinson. (The Robins became the Dodgers in 1932 and then moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958.) The Red Sox won the 1916 series in five games. Babe...

It's hard to argue with Roberts, Francona as Manager of the Year winners

It's hard to argue with Roberts, Francona as Manager of the Year winners
The managers who win Manager of the Year awards are usually the guys that won - or at least contended - despite a list of problems. That's why the Dodgers' Dave Roberts won the Baseball Writers' Association of America award over the Cubs' Joe Maddon and the Nationals' Dusty Baker. Roberts had 16 first-place votes and 108 points. Maddon had eight first-place votes and 70 points, Baker four first-place votes and 66 points. Roberts led the Dodgers to the National League West title and 91...

Dreamlike sequence ends with Kershaw, Dodgers advancing to NLCS vs. Cubs

Dreamlike sequence ends with Kershaw, Dodgers advancing to NLCS vs. Cubs
Closer Kenley Jansen, his goggles pushed up on his forehead, sat on the champagne-soaked hallway floor that leads to the Dodgers clubhouse early Friday morning. He was exhausted and trying to put into words what had just happened. "When I saw that Clayton Kershaw was warming up, I said to myself, 'Am I dreaming?' " Jansen said. "It was unbelievable. It was awesome." And it was a game the Dodgers and their will never forget. They beat the Nationals 4-3 in Game 5 of the National League...

Baker on how scheduling affects his pitching staff for Game 4 and beyond

Baker on how scheduling affects his pitching staff for Game 4 and beyond
LOS ANGELES - One major theme of this National League Division Series has been scheduling and how it has affected the players, managers and coaching staffs. Major League Baseball eliminated its scheduled off-day Sunday when Game 2 was postponed in Washington, D.C., due to inclement weather on Saturday. Game 2 was rescheduled and played Sunday in blustery conditions at Nationals Park. Both clubs then ventured 2,300 miles to Los Angeles and arrived around 11 p.m. PDT Sunday night. Game 3 was...

Hill laments Dodgers leaving D.C. with only a split in NLDS

Hill laments Dodgers leaving D.C. with only a split in NLDS
Pitcher Rich Hill knows that a 1-1 split is a good road series in October. But he also knows that the Dodgers had a chance for a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five National League Division Series with the Nationals. "I'm disappointed because if I execute, our team is in a good position," Hill said after the Dodgers lost 5-2 to the Nationals in Game 2 of the NLDS on Sunday. But it wasn't all Hill. The Dodgers couldn't hit with runners in scoring position. They left 12 runners on base. Through...

Kershaw probably won't pitch on short rest, but Dodgers skipper Roberts says there are "no absolutes"

Kershaw probably won't pitch on short rest, but Dodgers skipper Roberts says there are "no absolutes"
Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw went through his usual post-start workout Saturday at Nationals Park with no problems, but that doesn't increase the chances Kershaw will pitch on short rest in Game 4 of the National League Division Series in Los Angeles. "I just don't see it happening,'' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday after Game 2 was postponed until Sunday afternoon at 1:08 p.m. Of course, situations can change, especially if the Dodgers are down to the Nationals 2-1 in the...

Prospects for Bud Black's coaching staff

Prospects for Bud Black's coaching staff
The reaction to Bud Black beating out Dusty Baker for the Nationals managerial job might have caused some head scratching at first. After all, the former managed the Padres - his only gig as a big league skipper - to a less-than-flattering 649-713 record over 8 1/2 years without tasting one sip of playoff-clinching champagne, while the latter took three different teams to the playoffs, reaching the World Series with the Giants in 2002. The immediate feeling on Black is understandable. Why...