NL Wild Card Game

Associated Press file photo

Turner Field hosts the first-ever, winner-take-all, NL Wild Card Game.

And so the postseason has arrived. And for the first time, the Nationals have tangible reason to care about the outcome. That's because they'll be playing the winner of today's first-ever, winner-take-all, NL Wild Card Game between the Braves and Cardinals. The Nationals will all huddle around their own TV sets to watch this one, then board a plane tomorrow for either Atlanta or St. Louis and in advance of Sunday's Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

Both managers today are sending their aces to the mound. Kris Medlen (10-1, 1.57 ERA this season) gets the ball for the Braves, who will attempt to win for the 23rd consecutive time when the right-hander starts a game. The Cardinals' Kyle Lohse (16-3, 2.86 ERA) just completed the best season of his career and makes his 10th career postseason appearance (he's 0-4 with a 5.54 ERA).

Emotions surely will be strong at Turner Field, with Chipper Jones playing perhaps the final game of his Cooperstown-worthy career. In order to extend his time in uniform at least a few more days, he and his teammates will have to dethrone the reigning World Series champs.

There's nothing quite like a one-game playoff. And we've never had this much reason to watch in Washington. Enjoy the game, everyone...

NATIONAL LEAGUE WILD CARD GAME
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Turner Field
Gametime: 5:07 p.m. EDT
TV: TBS
Radio: WSPZ (570 AM), XM 185
Weather: Sunny, 80 degrees, Wind 3 mph out to CF

CARDINALS (88-74)
CF Jon Jay
RF Carlos Beltran
LF Matt Holliday
1B Allen Craig