us in the hole." It did, but the Warriors clawed back in the second quarte

The Dodgers and Nationals meet later tonight (8 p.m. ET) in a winner-take-all game to decide who will advance to face the Cubs in the NLCS. Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide Thursdays game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals, then vote for which team will win?at the bottom of the page.Inside the pitching matchupWhen Rich Hill is on the mound:?When he wasnt sidelined by blisters, Hill was one of the best starters in baseball in 2016, going 12-5 with a 2.12 ERA between the Oakland As and Los Angeles Dodgers and holding batters to a .195 average. On the surface, his repertoire seems pretty basic: A fastball from 88 to 91 mph and a big-breaking curveball. He throws both up in the strike zone -- 70 percent of his fastballs are in the upper half compared to the MLB average of 50 percent.What makes him so difficult to hit is the deception in his delivery. Both pitches are delivered on the same axis, what pitchers call mirroring.His curveball will also have different speeds and arcs to it. His fastball generates extreme spin, leading to fly balls and pop-ups. And just to throw a wrinkle into everything, he occasionally drops down and throws sidearm. Add it up, and hes an outlier in delivery and pitch location that major league hitters just dont see.Now, he has to throw strikes. In his Game 2 start, he generated a swing-and-miss rate of 40.7 percent, his highest of the season. But he was also wild, with an in-zone rate of 45.1 percent, his second-lowest of the season. The Nationals also chased just 11 percent of those pitches, a season-low against Hill. He ended up walking two batters in 4.1 innings and five of the six he allowed came when he was behind or even in the count (and five of those came off his curveball).Hes starting on three days rest so young Julio Urias will have to be ready for long relief in case Hill falters early. -- David SchoenfieldWhen Max Scherzer?is on the mound: ?The Washington Nationals Cy Young candidate led the National League in wins, innings, strikeouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio and home runs allowed. Corey Seager and Justin Turner tagged him in Game 1, Seager on a first-pitch fastball, Turner on a first-pitch curveball.Scherzer gets good armside run on his fastball that averaged 94.3 mph; only Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello had a higher swing-and-miss rate with their fastballs. Scherzer can get into trouble with it, however, when he thinks he can simply blow it by hitters and leaves it in the middle of the zone, as he did with Seager. His slider is a wipeout pitch, as only Jose Fernandez generated a higher swing-and-miss rate.Heres the catch, though: Scherzer had a big platoon split. Lefties hit .242/.315/.445 against him while righties hit .156/.189/.288. The Dodgers will be able to roll out seven left-handed batters (plus Hill, who also hits left-handed). -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightTrea Turner: The rookie center fielder is hitting .353 in the series even though he has 10 strikeouts (hes 6-for-7 when he puts the ball in play). If he can get on base, his speed adds a new dimension and gives Jayson Werth - who killed left-handers this year and has been locked in -- some RBI opportunities.?-- SchoenfieldWhat will decide Thursdays gameIf either of the starting pitchers get in trouble in this game, neither manager should be hesitant to go to their bullpens. The Dodgers (3.35) and Nationals (3.37) led baseball in bullpen ERA during the regular season.And each team may need their pens early, as both teams have been giving up runs early.The Nationals have given up a first inning run in every game of the series, despite posting a league-average first inning ERA. Both teams below the league average ERA in the first three innings (4.22), but each has struggled in the series, as the Dodgers have a 6.00 ERA in the first three innings while the Nationals sit at 8.25.The starter that holds his team in it the longest has the best chance to take home the win.?-- Daniel McCarthy,?ESPN Stats & InformationChoosing sides: Who will win?? ?Theres generally a reason why the road less traveled is less traveled. In this case, Rich Hill -- journeyman, blister, short rest, and all -- is that road. Ill take the road more traveled thanks. Thatd be the guy who has already won a Cy Young, is about to win another, is fully rested, and pitching at home. Max Scherzer and the Nats advance. -- Eddie Matz? The Dodgers have figured out a way to win throughout this injury-riddled season and they will figure out a way once more in Game 5. When Clayton Kershaw went down in late June, the Dodgers morphed into a team that could throw offense, a bullpen and a little defense at the problem. That experience will serve them well in the deciding game of the NLDS. -- Doug PadillaWhere the series standsIts tied up. The winner moves on to Wrigley Field to face Jon Lester in Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday. Both bullpens figure to be used heavily once again. The three lefty Nationals relievers figure to play a key role if Scherzer doesnt dominate and Roberts has utilized 20 relief appearances in the first four games.?-- Schoenfield Nike SF Air Force 1 Mid Nz .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. Air Force 1 High Sale . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. http://www.airforce1salenz.com/ . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. Nike SF Air Force 1 Nz . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. Air Force 1 Low Cheap . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over .(Sports Network) - The San Antonio Spurs will try to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals Thursday night when they meet the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the semifinals at Oracle Arena. The Spurs took the 3-2 series lead Tuesday night in Alamo City with a 109-91 victory. It was a tale of two halves as the Spurs blew the doors of the Warriors over the final 24 minutes. San Antonio outscored Golden State, 55-40 over the final two quarters. The Spurs shot 52.6 percent from the field in the second half, led by Tony Parker, who had 16 of his 25 points after halftime. "We made shots, the ball movement was good," Parker said. "So hopefully we can do the same thing in Golden State. Thats a big key for us ... We have to play Spurs basketball and move their defense." The Spurs handed out 30 assists on 40 made field goals. Thats incredible ball movement as Parker dished out 10 dimes and five other San Antonio players recorded at least three assists. With the offense clicking, the defense was pretty stout on Tuesday night, especially against the vaunted Warriors backcourt. In Game 5, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 13 points on 6-for-22 shooting. Curry was averaging 26 ppg during this series and he had nine on Tuesday. Thompson was at 20 ppg and he managed four. But Warriors coach Mark Jackson was quick to dismiss the cold shooting of the most prolific 3-point shooting teammates in NBA history as the reason for the loss "They shot 72 percent in the first quarter, scored 37 points," Jaackson said of San Antonio.dddddddddddd "That has nothing to do with Klay Thompson or Steph Curry shooting the basketball. Thats a recipe for disaster and that put us in the hole." It did, but the Warriors clawed back in the second quarter and had it as close as four points in the third. Then, thanks in large part to 11 Golden State turnovers in the second half, the Spurs went on their run. "Careless with the basketball," Jackson lamented. "We got out of character on both sides of the ball." Despite the disappointing performance from the starting guards, rookie Harrison Barnes continues to dazzle. After scoring 26 points in the Warriors Game 4 victory, Barnes followed it up with a 25-point performance on Tuesday night. The Warriors will try for their first appearance in the Western Conference Finals since the 1975-76 season. "Were excited about Game 6," said Jackson. "We want to put ourselves in position to head back to San Antonio, but first things first." For the Spurs, advancement would mark the eighth time in 15 years that San Antonio made it to the Conference Finals. They got to that level last year, but were bounced by the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games. "Nobody talks about getting this thing over with like youve got a rash, or take a pill, or put some cream on it and its going to be gone," joked Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "This is a war. Thats a class team." If the Warriors win on Thursday, Game 7 will be back in San Antonio on Sunday. ' ' '