One win away

ATLANTA - Anyone living in the Atlanta area have a pair of ski goggles that they aren't planning on using tonight or tomorrow? Asking for myself. Boy, could this be a big night for baseball in the DMV. Both the Nationals and Orioles have a chance to clinch their respective division titles tonight, with the Nats just needing to take one of the two remaining games against the Braves to win the National League East and the O's being just one win away from being American League East champs. For the Nats, it would be their second division title in a three-year span. Should they win tonight when Tanner Roark gets the ball, or tomorrow, when Gio Gonzalez gets the start, they will have wrapped up the division title at Turner Field, against their top rival, with Braves fans watching on. The magic number is two, and while the Nationals have said for weeks that they're not looking too far ahead and not letting themselves look at the big picture, it's getting tough to ignore that now. They're as close as close can be, and they're starting to see the prize right in front of their faces. "I'm excited for tomorrow," Drew Storen said last night, after closing out a tight 4-2 win over Atlanta. "I think we're all pumped. It's a long road, and to be in this position is pretty special. It's what you're aiming for from day one of spring training." Yesterday, the Nats cut their magic number in half thanks largely to Stephen Strasburg, who dominated the Braves over seven scoreless innings, all while pitching with a stiff neck. Entering yesterday's outing, Strasburg hadn't fared well against the Braves over the course of his career. He had gotten hit around at Turner Field. But last night, Strasburg attacked, spotting his fastball, which reached 98 mph a few times, and mixing in a hard, diving changeup. "He rose to the occasion," Ian Desmond said. "I'm sure it wasn't an easy pill to swallow taking the mound there in the first, knowing the history he has here against this team. Sometimes you just got to choke it down. And he did that." Over his last four starts, here are Strasburg's numbers: 1.69 ERA in 26 2/3 innings, 28 strikeouts, zero walks. He's heating up as we get deeper into the season, despite the fact that he's now topped 200 innings in a season for the first time in his career. The victory last night left the Nats on the verge of a celebration. They're excited. They're ready. But they've still got bigger plans. "I mean, one win tomorrow might be to go to the playoffs," Strasburg said. "But that's not our ultimate goal."