Instant analysis: Cubs 8, Nats 2

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Stephen Strasburg was brilliant for four innings, then awful in the fifth.

Game in a nutshell: Everything looked great for four innings, especially for Stephen Strasburg, who was dominating like he hadn't at any previous point this season. And then ... complete meltdown in the fifth inning. Ryan Zimmerman committe another throwing error on a routine play, and Strasburg couldn't pick up his teammate. He let the Cubs score four runs (all unearned) before the inning ended, then was unceremoniously yanked by manager Davey Johnson. Zach Duke tried to put out the fire but only added fuel, giving up four more runs in the sixth. The rest was inconsequential, with the Nationals slogging their way through the remainder of the afternoon and suffering one of their least-inspiring losses of the season, bringing an unsightly end to their five-game winning streak.

Fielding lowlight: Any breakdown of today's game has to include the play that completely shifted momentum: Zimmerman's

Game 36: Cubs at Nats

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Stephen Strasburg faces Edwin Jackson today at Nationals Park.

The initial forecast for this afternoon didn't look so great, but things seem to be getting much better now. The tarp has been rolled off the infield, the sky is getting lighter and it appears the heavy rain will stay to our north, with the only real threat coming after 6 p.m. So it certainly looks like the Nats and Cubs will be able to get this game started on-time. (Full disclaimer: If my "expert" forecast is proven wrong, you're not allowed to hold it against me.)

Stephen Strasburg takes the mound for the Nationals, having made progress in his last start at Pittsburgh but still looking for his first win since Opening Day. He'll go up against a familiar face: Edwin Jackson, still looking for his first win with Chicago.

We're still waiting for Davey Johnson to post his lineup, but Bryce Harper is expected to be back after missing last night's game following a procedure to remove an ingrown toenail. Jayson Werth, meanwhile, should be officially placed on the 15-day DL any moment now, with Eury Perez recalled from Class AAA Syracuse. [UPDATE AT 1:35 P.M. — Harper actually isn't starting today, his toe still not completely healed. So Davey is going with his same lineup as last night, with Wilson Ramos catching instead of Kurt Suzuki.]

Updates to come...

CHICAGO CUBS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, Ch. 9, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 186
Weather: Late rain, 75 degrees, Wind 9 mph out to CF

NATIONALS (20-15)
CF Denard Span
RF Roger Bernadina
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche

Jackson to Cubs for $52 million

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Edwin Jackson parlayed one season in Washington into a huge deal with Chicago.

Edwin Jackson wanted a long-term contract last winter, one commensurate with those given to some of the better pitchers in baseball. In the end, the well-traveled right-hander settled for a one-year deal with the Nationals, hoping to then parlay that into something much bigger this winter.

That strategy most certainly paid off, because today Jackson and the Cubs came to agreement on a four-year, $52 million contract, according to CSNchicago.com.

The deal is still contingent upon Jackson passing a physical, but once he does he'll be under contract through 2016 earning an average of $13 million per season (18th-most among all major-league pitchers).

The Nationals never showed any serious intention to bring Jackson back after a mostly impressive -- if often erratic -- season in D.C. Signed on Feb. 2 for $11 million to serve as their No. 4 starter, he

Slow market for Nats free agents

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Edwin Jackson, like several other ex-Nats, remains unsigned.

We've spent plenty of time already this offseason trying to figure out when and with whom Adam LaRoche will sign. (The latest on that front: With Josh Hamilton now a Los Angeles Angel of Anaheim, the Rangers have renewed interest in LaRoche, and according to a source close to that organization might be willing to offer a three-year contract.)

LaRoche, though, is far from the only Nationals free agent who has yet to sign this winter. In fact, the only ones who have to date are Sean Burnett (Angels) and Zach Duke (re-signed with the Nats).

That leaves a lengthy list of prominent 2012 Nationals who currently don't have employment for 2013, including Edwin Jackson, Michael Gonzalez, John Lannan, Jesus Flores, Tom Gorzelanny and Mark DeRosa.

Jackson is the biggest name of the bunch, but the veteran right-hander may find himself in a spot not all that unlike the one he was in last winter, seeking a long-term contract but perhaps finding

Qualifying offer for LaRoche, not Jackson

The Nationals made a qualifying contract offer to Adam LaRoche before today's 5 p.m. deadline, but not to any of their other free agents, ensuring they would receive at least one draft pick as compensation should they lose the veteran first baseman.

LaRoche was given the one-year, $13.3 million offer all free agents are eligible to be offered under MLB's new compensation system, according to MLB.com and FoxSports.com. The 32-year-old can either accept the offer (which equates to the average salary of the top 125-paid players in the majors this season) and return to the Nationals for 2013 or decline the offer and seek a multi-year contract with any of baseball's 30 clubs.

If LaRoche (who has seven days to make a decision) declines the offer as expected, the Nationals would receive a compensatory draft pick (a "sandwich" pick between the first and second rounds) should he ultimately sign with another franchise this winter. That franchise would then lose its first-round draft pick (unless it's one of the top 10 picks) under a system installed under the new collective bargaining agreement that eliminated the old

Window with LaRoche closes Saturday

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Adam LaRoche can begin negotiating with other clubs on Saturday.

When Miguel Cabrera took a Sergio Romo fastball down the heart of the strike zone late last night, the 2012 Major League Baseball season came to an end. And the Hot Stove League immediately commenced.

While the Giants are busy celebrating and the Tigers are busy moping, everyone else around the sport is preparing for the official start of the offseason, with some important decisions that will need to be made right off the bat.

All eligible players become free agents this morning, a group that will include Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche, right-hander Edwin Jackson, left-handers Sean Burnett, Michael Gonzalez and Zach Duke and utilityman Mark DeRosa.

Though they'll technically be free agents right away, those players won't have the right to negotiate with other clubs until five full days have passed. Thus, the Nationals have until Saturday morning to

Position analysis: Rotation

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Stephen Strasburg won't be on a hard innings limit in 2013.

As we transition into offseason mode, we'll start by breaking down the Nationals' roster by position (infield, outfield, catcher, rotation and bullpen) this week and examine where things stand at season's end and where things might stand moving forward. Today's position: The starting rotation...

RHP STEPHEN STRASBURG
Stats: 15-6, 3.16 ERA, 159.1 IP, 1.155 WHIP, 11.1 K/9, 2.7 BB/9
4.3 WAR
2012 salary: $3 million
Contract status: Arbitration-eligible in 2014, free agent in 2017
Where he fits in: Right at the top of the rotation. And straight through September (and into October, should the Nationals get that far). The Shutdown will be a huge topic of discussion all spring, but once the season gets underway, Strasburg will be free to pitch every fifth day with no restrictions (aside from running up pitch counts only Livan Hernandez is allowed to reach). One more year removed from his Tommy John surgery, the right-hander figures to be more consistent from start to start and should feel like he's still got plenty left in the tank late in the year, much as Jordan Zimmermann did this year.

LHP GIO GONZALEZ
Stats: 21-8, 2.89 ERA, 199.1 IP, 1.129 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 3.4 BB/9

Video: Strasburg, rotation and Storen

In this latest TV segment from CSN's Geico SportsNet Central, I discuss what -- if any -- restrictions the Nationals will have on Stephen Strasburg next season, what -- if any -- changes Mike Rizzo will make to his starting rotation and what -- if any -- lingering effect Friday night's blown save will have on Drew Storen.

Video: On LaRoche, E-Jax, Davey

The Hot Stove League won't heat up for several more weeks, but it's never too early to look at some of the biggest offseason storylines.

In this segment from CSN's Geico SportsNet Central, I discuss three key decisions involving the Nationals: 1) Whether to re-sign Adam LaRoche to a long-term extension, 2) whether to bring Edwin Jackson back or seek another veteran starting pitcher and 3) whether Davey Johnson wants to continue managing in 2013 and beyond.

Debating the big decisions

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Mike Rizzo and Davey Johnson will face criticism all winter after the Game 5 loss.

As the throbbing pain of a punch to the gut begins to ease and turn into a mere, lingering black-and-blue mark, the outcome of Game 5 of the National League Division Series begins to take a backseat to the decisions that set it up to happen.

In the immediate wake of their 9-7 loss to the Cardinals, the Nationals and their fans were too consumed with emotion to think rationally about what had just transpired. But with sunrise and a new day comes more perspective and an opportunity to revisit the path that led everything to this soul-crushing juncture.

Here, then, is a look back at some of the toughest decisions Mike Rizzo, Davey Johnson and others made leading up to and during the NLDS...

1. THE STRASBURG SHUTDOWN
It was inevitable: The only way the Nationals could have avoided subjecting themselves to criticism from around the world about their decision to shut down a healthy Stephen Strasburg in early-September was to win the World Series. (And even then, some would have decried Rizzo for denying the right-hander the opportunity to

Party poopers

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Pete Kozma's second-inning homer gave the Cardinals a 4-0 lead.

Updated at 7:25 p.m.

They turned out in record numbers to witness the first postseason game played on District of Columbia soil in 79 years, and perhaps coax the home ballclub to victory in the pivotal third game of this five-game National League Division Series.

The 45,017 who crammed themselves into Nationals Park on a gorgeous Wednesday afternoon, though, could yell, scream and sing along to "Take on Me" when Michael Morse stepped to the plate until their vocal chords were damaged.

That still wouldn't have prevented Edwin Jackson from digging his team into another early hole, wouldn't have prevented a pressing Nationals lineup from continuing to strand runners in scoring position and wouldn't have prevented a previously air-tight bullpen from turning a manageable deficit into an 8-0 thumping at the hands of the Cardinals.

"To see the stadium full and people excited, it's a long time coming," third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "Unfortunately, we didn't give them too much to cheer about."
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NLDS Game 3: Cardinals at Nats

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

The postseason comes to Washington at last this afternoon.

Eighty-eight years ago today, Earl McNeely doubled to left field in the bottom of the 12th inning at Griffith Stadium, bringing home Muddy Ruel from second base with the run that gave the Washington Senators a 4-3 victory over the New York Giants in Game 7 of the World Series, the one and only major-league baseball championship in District of Columbia history.

About three hours from now, the postseason returns to Washington, with Edwin Jackson delivering the first pitch of Game 3 of the National League Division Series to Jon Jay as a sellout crowd on South Capitol Street roars with approval. It's an event so many people in this town have looked forward to experiencing for so long, but the mood will be dampened significantly if the Nationals don't emerge victorious.

How important is the outcome of this game? Well, there have been 39 five-game series in baseball history that were tied 1-1. The team that won Game 3 proceeded to win the series 30 times, losing only nine times. So, there you go.

Be sure to get here early for the pregame festivities, which include the full introductions of both teams, plus Frank Robinson throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. And for those not fortunate enough to be able to attend in person, you of course can get plenty of updates and analysis right here...

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES - GAME 3
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:07 p.m. EDT
TV: MLB Network
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), WTEM (980 AM), XM 183
Weather: Sunny, 66 degrees, Wind 9 mph out to CF

NATIONALS
RF Jayson Werth
CF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche

Home sweet home

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Nationals Park is ready to host its first-ever postseason game.

Though there was legitimate optimism surrounding the Nationals when this season began, it took some time before the city fully bought into the notion this team could win big in 2012.

Indeed, six of the Nationals' first 13 home games this season drew crowds under 20,000 to South Capitol Street.

Slowly but surely, though, the town bought into this team. And by the time the Nationals were wrapping up the regular season -- and their first-ever NL East title -- a ballpark that had never been known as a particularly rowdy venue had turned into something not seen around these parts in a long time.

"It doesn't go unnoticed," first baseman Adam LaRoche said. "You could tell early on, it was almost more of a social gathering: Come out, nothing else to do, we'll just go hang out at the park. And now it's turned into some die-hard fans, some people probably skipping work and skipping school to come see the Nats. Our last few regular season home games, I think we're about as close to playoff

Will experience be key for E-Jax?

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Edwin Jackson starts Game 3 of the NLDS tomorrow afternoon.

A veteran of 10 major-league seasons, Edwin Jackson has helped lead a young Nationals pitching staff all year. He's helped show them what it takes to pitch every fifth day, how to slow down when an inning gets out of hand and how to prepare day after day throughout a 162-game season.

But on Wednesday Jackson will face his toughest test yet: Put the Nationals in position to win a pivotal Game 3 after two games where their starting pitching all of a sudden wasn't sharp. A strong start from Jackson could set the tone and sway the momentum of the series back in Washington's direction. It's a place he has been before and hopes to draw from the experience.

"The thing about postseason baseball is, the game can speed up real quick," he said. "You have to kind of control the pace and control the tempo. And having experience in that, it definitely helps when you get in those situations, being able to slow the game down and kind of take the crowd out of the equation and just think about concentrating on what you have to do."

Jackson has pitched in seven postseason games in his career, including twice in the World Series. Wednesday might not be an elimination game, but Jackson understands what is at stake for the young Nationals. Most of his teammates have never been in the playoffs, much less had to battle from behind in a series.
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Rotation, roster set

ST. LOUIS -- The Nationals won a major-league best 98 games this season with a roster and starting rotation that didn't change very much along the way, so they're not going to change much heading into their first-ever postseason series.

Manager Davey Johnson said today his rotation for the National League Division Series against the Cardinals will stand pat. Gio Gonzalez starts Game 1 tomorrow, with Jordan Zimmermann following him on Monday at Busch Stadium. Edwin Jackson will then start Game 3 in Washington on Wednesday, with Ross Detwiler pitching Game 4 on Thursday.

Johnson didn't formally reveal his 25-man roster for the series, but he said there would be no surprises and made it all but clear rookie Christian Garcia would be in the bullpen with John Lannan left off the roster.

In the end, the Nationals felt it best to dance with the guys who got there here in the first place.

Best in the bigs

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Adam LaRoche tosses goodies to fans behind the Nationals dugout after the game.

The Washington Nationals -- who never posted a winning record, never reached the playoffs and never won a division title in their first seven seasons in the District -- didn't just knock down all those barriers in year eight. They managed to knock down an even bigger one: Posting the best record in the major leagues.

With a 5-1 victory over the Phillies during Wednesday's regular-season finale, the Nationals capped off a 98-64 season that wasn't surpassed by any other franchise in the big leagues and was good enough to secure home-field advantage as long as their playoff run extends.

No matter how much optimism surrounded the organization when it gathered in Viera, Fla., in late February for spring training, few could have dreamed this big.

"It's quite an accomplishment," Ryan Zimmerman, the only player to appear in a game in all eight of the Nationals seasons, said. "Obviously winning the division was a goal, and now we've done that, and we have a chance to go do some stuff in the playoffs. This is a great season, a great team, a good group of guys, and we accomplished a lot that we should be proud of. But we have a lot more to accomplish, hopefully."

They'll wipe the slate clean and begin that journey Sunday, on the road for Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the winner of Friday's winner-take-all Wild Card game between the Braves and Cardinals.
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Instant analysis: Nats 5, Phillies 1

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Ryan Zimmerman is congratulated by Michael Morse after homering in the fourth.

Game in a nutshell: Knowing they could clinch the No. 1 seed for the NL playoffs with a victory today -- regardless of the result of the Reds' game tonight in St. Louis -- the Nationals went out and took care of business. Edwin Jackson tossed 6 2/3 strong innings to rebound from his disastrous last start. Ryan Zimmerman, Tyler Moore and Michael Morse all blasted home runs to pace the offensive attack. Shoot, they even let Teddy win the Presidents Race for the first time, eliciting a huge roar from the announced crowd of 37,075. And by finishing off the Phillies, the Nationals finished with a 98-64 record, locking up the top seed for the postseason. Game 1 of the NLDS will be Sunday at the winner of Friday's Wild Card game between the Braves and Cardinals, with Game 2 on Monday. The series will come to Nationals Park for Games 3-5 Wednesday through Friday. The Reds and Giants will open their NLDS on Saturday in San Francisco.

Hitting highlight: Who knew all it would take to bring the Nationals' bats alive was a giant-headed Teddy winning the Presidents Race?

Game 162: Phillies at Nats

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

The Nationals try to secure the No. 1 seed in the NL playoffs this afternoon.

OK, here's a condensed version of what's at stake today for the Nationals in their regular-season finale against the Phillies: Win and they clinch the No. 1 seed for the playoffs and will open the NLDS on Sunday at the winner of Friday's Wild Card game between the Braves and Cardinals. Lose and they need the Reds to lose tonight in St. Louis to keep that No. 1 seed. Otherwise, they drop to the No. 2 seed and open the NLDS on Saturday in San Francisco.

After giving most of his regulars last night's game off, Davey Johnson planned to get most of them back in the lineup today. The only anticipated exceptions: Bryce Harper and Adam LaRoche, though there's still a chance either or both could play.

Edwin Jackson gets the start for the Nationals, getting one last chance to earn his 10th win and become the fifth member of the rotation to reach double digits, a fairly impressive accomplishment.

Updates to come, so please check back...

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 183
Weather: Cloudy, 80 degrees, Wind 5 mph out to CF

NATIONALS (97-64)
CF Jayson Werth
RF Mark DeRosa
3B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Michael Morse

A beating with a positive result

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Edwin Jackson departs after recording only four outs and surrendering nine runs.

ST. LOUIS -- They picked just about the worst possible moment to play their worst ballgame of the season, a 2-hour, 51-minute stinker that ended in a 12-2 thumping at the hands of an opponent who looked far more ready for the postseason than they did.

So why weren't the Nationals completely down in the dumps at the end of a miserable night at Busch Stadium?

"That was a beating, there," first baseman Adam LaRoche said. "But we're obviously watching the scoreboard, and the Braves finally lost a game this month. So I guess we can take that as a positive."

Yes, the best thing that happened to the Nationals Friday night took place 554 miles to the southeast in Atlanta, where the Braves blew a late lead to the Mets and lost 3-1 on Chipper Jones Night, failing to gain any ground in the NL East.

So, guess what, folks: The Nationals, with their magic number down to 2, have a chance to clinch their first-ever division title Saturday night.

That kind of takes the sting out of the most-lopsided loss of the season, doesn't it?
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Instant analysis: Cardinals 12, Nats 2

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Edwin Jackson was knocked out in the second inning of a blowout loss.

Game in a nutshell: Not a whole lot to say about this one, other than to point out how bad Edwin Jackson was during a miserable 1 1/3 innings on the mound. The right-hander was torched for nine runs (eight earned), putting his team in a 9-1 hole in the second inning. Not much else mattered after that, with Davey Johnson pulling seven of his eight regulars (everyone except Danny Espinosa), choosing to live to fight another day. And yet the night really wasn't a lost cause for the Nationals, because Lucas Duda's 3-run homer in Atlanta led the Mets to a 3-1 win and spoiled Chipper Jones Night for the Braves. Thus the Nationals somehow managed to get blown out yet still see their magic number drop to 2. Which means they can clinch the NL East title tomorrow night with a win plus another Braves loss. Kind of takes the sting out of this ugly performance, doesn't it?

Hitting lowlight: It's tough find much motivation when you step to the plate trailing by eight runs, so it's hard to find too much fault with the Nationals' hitting approach in this one. They did get a couple of nice