The LA Dodgers and the Washington Nationals will fight it out in a decisive winner takes all Game 5 in the NLDS on Thursday night. The Nationals will have home field advantage for this huge National League Division Series game, and the start time at Nationals Park in Washington DC will be 8.08 p.m. ET. The game can be watched on TV on the FS1 network or online through live stream via the link below.
Today's starting pitcher line up will see the Dodgers send out Rich Hill to face off against the Nationals' Max Scherzer as both teams through everything at this deciding game.
Hill, when he's been able to pitch, has been one of the most effective and devastating pitchers in the league this season. He has posted a 2.12 ERA and 2.39 FIP over his 110 1/3 innings. He has also struck out 10.5 batters per every nine innings he's thrown. That's an immense return and if he can come up with the good tonight he could swing the game the Dodgers way.
However, the Nationals also have a star pitching taking the mound for them tonight, and Scherzer will be able to take the mound on full rest to give his all in this winner takes all match up. Hill, for the Dodgers, is coming into today's game on short rest.
He came out for Game 1 in this series, and was unable to stop the Nationals losing the opening game, allowing four runs in six innings with five strike outs.
Scherzer will be hoping to shutdown the Dodgers batters a bit more effectively in tonight's decider, and if he turns up with his A game then he could be a match winner.
The Nationals will not need reminding that they have never won a playoff series before, and every single Washington fan will be watching tonight to see if they can finally claim a postseason series win and move on to the League Championship Series.
The Dodgers meanwhile are also starved of success, and they have not played a World Series game in nearly three decades. The will be hoping that this is their year, but they know they have to get past the Nationals tonight if they are to keep those dreams alive.
Whoever makes it through tonight's deciding Game 5 will progress to play the Chicago Cubs, who are the favorites to go all the way this season.
The Cubs became the first team to defeat the San Francisco Giants in October for 13 years earlier this week when they performed a dramatic ninth inning comeback to steal the game and end the Giants season.
Chicago will have the upper hand against whichever of these teams they face in the League Championship Series. In the regular season the Cubs won their season series against the Dodgers 4-3, and against the Nationals 5-2.
The Dodgers only managed to get to this elimination game because they opted to use their ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw on short rest. He generally pitched excellently, and that has allowed Los Angeles to get through to this final game of the series. But now it is the Nationals who send their ace pitcher to the mound tonight for the decider, and they will be hoping Scherzer can deliver for them under pressure to get them over the line.
Scherzer has said ahead of the game: "This is going to be a heck of a ballgame. The effort from both sides over the first four games has been incredible. We've seen unbelievable baseball from both sides -- great pitching, great hitting, great defense, everything. In Game 5, anything can happen, and you've just got to go out there and execute your pitches."
Tonight's big MLB Playoffs 2016 NLDS Game 5 between the LA Dodgers and the Washington Nationals has a scheduled start time of 8.08 p.m. ET and can be watched on TV on the FS1 network, or online through live stream by clicking here.
