District On Deck
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Washington Nationals: Which teams should Nats fans be cheering for?

By Ross Shinberg

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 11: Jayson Werth (L) #28 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with his teammates as he jumps on home plate to score on his solo game-winning walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during Game Four of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 11, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 11: Jayson Werth (L) #28 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with his teammates as he jumps on home plate to score on his solo game-winning walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during Game Four of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 11, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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Whoever Plays The Braves

It is an unfortunate reality. The Atlanta Braves are the National League East champions.

With this comes an easy choice when selecting a team to cheer for. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Rockies in Game 163 and will host Atlanta in a best-of-five series beginning on Thursday.

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The Dodgers will be at a disadvantage right out of the gate as they needed to pitch Walker Buehler in Game 163. Buehler established himself as a legitimate ace in his rookie season, posting a 2.62 ERA in 137.1 innings.

Neither team formally announced starters, although it seems likely Clayton Kershaw and Mike Foltynewicz will throw in Game 1.

“Folty” pitched brilliantly in the second half of the season, recording a 3.10 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He’ll have a tough test against a Dodgers lineup that ranks 2nd in wRC+ against right-handed pitchers.

Should the unfathomable happen and the Braves pull the upset, they’ll take on either the Chicago Cubs, the Rockies, or the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. All three teams torched the Nationals this season, combining for 12 wins in 19 tries.

N.L. MVP front-runner Christian Yelich carried the Brewers to home-field advantage. Since September 12, Yelich’s slash line of .415/.563/1.038 (1.601 OPS) is unparalleled by any other player in baseball.

However, if there is one thing we know about baseball, it is that it cannot be predicted. Absolutely anything and everything can and will happen.

Next. 10 Best Moments of the 2018 Campaign. dark

We hope that whichever team you adopt at the beginning of this month is popping champagne at the end of it. October is here!

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