NLDS: Cards Overcome Six-Run Deficit, Score Four With Two Out In Ninth; Overcome Nats To Get Crack At Giants

At Washington:

The St. Louis Cardinals battled back from a six-run deficit on Friday night, scoring four runs with two outs in the top of the ninth inning (being down to their last strike twice), and overcame the Washington Nationals 9-7 in game five of their National League divisional playoff series, winning the series three games to two.  Daniel Descalso, who hit a home run in the eighth inning, delivered a two-out game-tying single in the ninth, then scored the insurance run (after David Freese scored the game winner) on Pete Kozma's base hit.

The Cardinals will open the National League Championship series against the San Francisco Giants on the road at AT&T Park on Sunday. 

Incidentally, this marked the first time that all four divisional playoff series went the maximum five games.

NLDS: Giants Erupt For Six Runs In Fifth Inning, Hold Off Reds Comeback To Take Game Five And Win Series; Jayson Werth Comes Through For Nats, Force Game Five With Cards

Both National League divisional playoff series resumed on Thursday.

At Cincinnati:

Buster Posey hit a grand-slam home run, part of a six-run fifth inning as the San Francisco Giants held off the Cincinnati Reds 6-4 to win game five of their divisional playoff series, enabling the guests to overcome a two-games-to-none deficit and win the series three games to two, becoming the first National League club to come back from two games down to win a divisional playoff series.  The Giants will open the National League Championship Series this coming Sunday at home or at Washington, depending on who wins Friday's deciding game between St. Louis and Washington.

At Washington:

Jayson Werth hit a walk-off home run to leadoff the bottom of the ninth inning as the Washington Nationals squared their divisional playoff series at two games apiece with the St. Louis Cardinals with their game-four 2-1 victory at home.  The fifth and deciding game of this series---and the San Francisco Giants' National League Championship Series opponent---will be decided at Nationals Park on Friday.

NLDS: Cards Blow Out And Stifle Nats To Take 2-1 Series Lead; Giants Use Timely Offense And Good Relief Pitching To Force Game Five With Reds

Two games were played on Wednesday as both National League divisional playoff series continued.

At Washington:

Chris Carpenter pitched 5 and 2/3 innings of shutout ball while the bullpen delivered no-hit baseball the rest of the way while Pete Kozma hit a three-run second-inning home run as the St. Louis Cardinals ruined the first postseason baseball game to take place in the nation's capital since the 1933 World Series by once again running roughshod over the Washington Nationals, this time by the score of 8-0 on the road as the Redbirds took a two-games-to-one divisional playoff series lead.  The Cardinals can finish off the series with a game-four victory in Washington on Thursday.

At Cincinnati:

Angel Pagan hit a lead-off home run while Pablo Sandoval and Gregor Blanco also hit round-trippers while the bullpen, led by Tim Lincecum pitched 4 and a third innings of one-run ball (and got the victory) as the San Francisco Giants leveled their divisional playoff series as two games apiece with their 8-3 game-four road win over the Cincinnati Reds.  The series is slated to be decided in game five at Great America Ballpark on Thursday.

NLDS: Giants Take Advantage Of Reds 10th-Inning Miscue, Extend Series

At Cincinnati:

Third baseman Scott Rolen's two-out error in the tenth inning enabled Buster Posey to score the go-ahead run while Sergio Romo pitched two perfect innings in relief as the San Francisco Giants avoided the sweep with their 2-1 10-inning victory on the road over the Cincinnati Reds in game three of their National League divisional playoff series on Tuesday.  The Reds, who still lead the series two games to one, can still close out the series with a win at home on Wednesday.

NLDS: Cards Mash Nats To Square Series At One Game Apiece

At St. Louis:

Carlos Beltran hit two home runs as the St. Louis Cardinals squared their National League divisional playoff series at one game apiece following their 12-4 drubbing of the visiting Washington Nationals on Monday.

NLDS: Late Herorics Lift Nats To Series-Opening Win; Giants Shrunk To Size At Home By Reds, On Verge Of Elimination

The National League divisional playoff series continued with two games on Sunday.

At St. Louis:

Tyler Moore delivered a pinch-hit two-RBI single with two outs in the top of the eighth inning as the Washington Nationals, playing their first playoff game since the Montreal Expos days of 1981, came from behind to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 in the opening game of their divisional playoff series.   The Cards blew a chance to break the game open when leading 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, when they loaded the bases with nobody out, and were unable to score.

At San Francisco:

Bronson Arroyo pitched seven innings of one-hit, one-walk, shutout baseball while Ryan Ludwick hit a second-inning homer, Ryan Hanigan hit a two-run single in the fourth, Joey Votto had three hits as the Cincinnati Reds scored an additional five runs in their half of the eighth and demolished the San Francisco Giants 9-0 on the road in game two of their divisional playoff series.  It was the most lopsided playoff shutout defeat in Giants history.  The Reds will go for the three-game series sweep Tuesday in Cincinnati.

NLDS: Homers And Relief Pitching Help Reds Hold Off Giants In Series Opener

At San Francisco:

Solid work from the bullpen, along with home runs from Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce, helped the Cincinnati Reds overcome the loss of starter Johnny Cueto (via back injury) and down the San Francisco Giants 5-2 in the opening game of their National League divisional playoff series on Saturday.  The win was the Reds' first postseason game victory since 1995.