On the Nats' resilient win in Pittsburgh, NLDS vs. Dodgers

PITTSBURGH - The events of the third inning - Jung Ho Kang's fake tag, Bryce Harper's awkward slide and injured left thumb as a result, A.J. Cole's fastball behind Kang's back and the benches-clearing skirmish that ensued - stole the spotlight yesterday at PNC Park.

Perhaps lost in that, however, was a fairly remarkable 10-7 victory by the Nationals over the Pirates. Which shouldn't be lost.

In the wake of their National League East clincher Saturday night, Dusty Baker rested most of his regulars for the series finale. The message was clear: They weren't exactly trying their hardest to win this particular game.

"Today was one of those days where you kind of just chalk it up," left fielder Jayson Werth said. "Whatever happens, happens. All the extra guys play. A lot of the everyday guys obviously didn't. But I think the way we responded, the way we battled, I felt like if we weren't already, we were a championship-caliber team."

Time will tell whether Werth's hunch proves true, but the manner in which the Nationals won this game was nonetheless impressive.

They stormed out to a 3-0 lead, watched that lead evaporate via a ragged bottom of the first by Cole. Then they watched Harper get hurt and have to leave the game. Then they watched Kang give the Pirates a 7-5 lead in the bottom of the seventh with a towering homer off Koda Glover. And then ...

Well, it began with Werth's two-run, pinch-hit homer off former teammate Felipe Rivero, a blast to center field that tied the game once again.

"In that situation, it was pretty tough to see, especially with the shadows," Werth said. "So I really needed to see a couple pitches just to figure out where it was coming from. I was kind of hoping I'd get into a fastball count, cause in shadows it's tough to see spin. He pulled the 1-1 pitch and got me to 2-1, so I was just sitting dead-red right there, and that's what I got."

The Nationals weren't done yet. They loaded the bases against Rivero, then got the go-head single from Chris Heisey (who had replaced Harper five innings earlier).

"I think the energy came when J-Dub hit the home run," Heisey said. "To be honest with you, it wasn't looking good there for a little. And then all of a sudden we were like, 'Alright, heck, we're in it. We might as well try to win it now.' It gives you a little energy, which I'm sure we all needed after last night."

The Nationals now return home for the final seven games of the regular season, four against the Diamondbacks and then three against the Marlins. There's still something at stake: Home field advantage for their National League Division Series against the Dodgers, a matchup that became official last night when Los Angeles clinched the NL West title.

The Nationals (91-64) currently lead the Dodgers (90-66) by 1 1/2 games, with L.A. off today before playing its final six games on the road at San Diego and San Francisco. The magic number to clinch home field advantage is six.