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When healthy, Clayton Kershaw was the best pitcher in the National League this season. Max Scherzer very well could take home the leagues Cy Young honors this season. Who has the edge in their NLDS Game 1 showdown?Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide Game 1, and then vote for which team will win at the bottom of the page.Inside the pitching matchupWhen?Kershaw is on the mound:?Very few runs are scored! In 21 starts, he allowed 31 runs. He walked just 11 batters, and one of those was intentional. He struck out 172 batters in 149 innings and batters hit just .184 against him. He missed two-plus months with a herniated disk in his back and some believe he was so good outside of that missed time that he deserves Cy Young consideration. He pitched well after his return, allowing just two earned runs his final four starts.Kershaw continues to evolve a bit as a pitcher. He now throws his slider more than ever, 33 percent of the time, as his fastball rate has dropped from 62 percent in his first Cy Young season in 2012 to 50.6 percent. What makes that pitch so tough is that unlike a lot of sliders, its actually in the zone much of the time, making it a pitch he can throw in any count, not just as a two-strike sit-em-down offering. Batters hit .138/.152/.191 against it.If theres hope for the Nationals, its that Kershaw wasnt as dominant away from Dodger Stadium. He had a 2.31 ERA on the road, where he also allowed seven of his eight home runs. He completely shut down left-handed batters (.138, no home runs in 138 at-bats), so dont expect Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy to do much damage. After losing four straight postseason starts, Kershaw had two good starts against the Mets last year, although -- lets admit it -- he has yet to have that Bumgarner-type outing in 10 career playoff starts. Note also that he hasnt gone more than 91 pitches since his return (and exceeded 110 just three times all season). -- David SchoenfieldWhen?Scherzer is on the mound: Scherzer ended up leading the NL in wins, innings, starts, strikeouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio (Kershaw didnt pitch enough innings to qualify) and home runs allowed, with 31, although his rate dropped significantly in the second half. Scherzers pure stuff is absolutely electric -- as we saw in that record-tying 20-strikeout game -- playing off a four-seam fastball which averaged 94.3 mph. Because he gets good armside run with the pitch, it generates more swing-and-misses than most four-seamers. Only Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello had a higher swing-and-miss rate with the fastball.Scherzer also throws a curveball and changeup, but its the slider that makes him unhittable at times. Only Jose Fernandez generated a higher miss rate with his slider among qualified starters -- both were over 49 percent. Batters hit just .146 against it.Scherzer did have a big platoon split which may play into the lefty-heavy Dodgers lineup. Lefties hit .242/.315/.445 against him compared to .156/.189/.288 against righties. His changeup isnt the same wipeout pitch against lefties as the slider is against righties. It will be interesting to see if he changes his pattern a bit and throws more sliders and fewer changeups. Scherzer can also get into trouble when hes behind in the count and simply tries to throw his fastball past hitters. Because he pitches up in the zone with his four-seamer, hes a fly ball pitcher with the fastball, explaining some of his home run issues. -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightDaniel?Murphy: He hit seven home runs in last years postseason for the Mets (all in the NLDS and NLCS), led the NL in slugging percentage and OPS (beating out Joey Votto when extending to four decimal points) but batted just once in the final 11 games as he battled a strained buttocks. The Nationals say hes ready to go. -- SchoenfieldWhat will decide tonights gameLook for Kershaws best pitch to help him dominate a team thats particularly susceptible to it. Kershaw held batters to a .192 average on his curveball this season, which ranked third among pitchers with 300 or more curves thrown, and he held batters to just a 2 percent hard-hit rate, baseballs best mark. Nationals hitters posted a .565 OPS versus curveballs this season, which ranked 22nd in MLB.?--?ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win?Scherzer is a big-game pitcher. Dont believe me? Just ask the Tigers, who fanned 20 times earlier this season against their former teammate in a game he was totally jacked up for. As for Kershaw, hes not a big-game pitcher. Just ask pretty much anyone who has ever faced him in the postseason. Nats gets a curly W in the opener. -- Eddie MatzIt will be Clayton Kershaw with a fresh arm and loads of motivation going for the Dodgers in Game 1 on Friday. But the Dodgers made their chops this season on the back of a surprise bullpen and a rejuvenated offense, and that is what ultimately will win them the opener late, in what figures to be a classic pitchers duel between Kershaw and Scherzer. -- Doug PadillaWhere the series standsThe Nationals were favored to beat the Giants two years ago in the division series, but dropped the first two games at home and lost in four. With some of their injury issues, it seems more people are picking the Dodgers. Their best bet it to have Scherzer outpitch Kershaw, not just in the opener, but perhaps later in the series if they match up again. ?--?Schoenfield Cam Newton Jersey . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Jordan Scarlett Youth Jersey . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-christian-mccaffrey-panthers-jersey/ . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. Greg Olsen Panthers Jersey . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Brian Burns Womens Jersey . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. ARLINGTON, Texas -- Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish are scheduled to start the next two games for the Texas Rangers, after some extra rest for the aces lined up to start the teams first two playoff games.With more than a week left in the regular season and the Rangers on the verge of clinching their second consecutive AL West title, there is also the opportunity for Hamels and Darvish to get back on track before the postseason after some subpar outings this month.It would be nice for them to go out, throw the ball well and have some success, said manager Jeff Banister, while re-emphasizing that he still sees them as among the best pitchers in the game.There would be a lot of `feel good. Whats necessary is for all our guys to get on that roll, quality pitches, manage the game and go as deep as possible, he said. There is a lot of `feel good satisfaction in that. If everything is in place, you are mentally stronger and relax.All-Star lefty Hamels (14-5, 3.42 ERA) has a 10.50 ERA over his last four starts, though the Rangers have won three of those games.Darvish (5-5, 3.81), who has made only 15 starts this season after missing all of 2015 following Tommy John surgery, allowed a career high-matching seven runs last Saturday against Oakland. He has a 7.47 ERA in his three September games, and is 1-2 with a 6.04 ERA his last five starts.Their names are recognizable because of the work that theyve done, said reliever Jake Diekman, part of the trade that brought Hamels from Philadelphia in a July 2015 trade. Youre going to have peaks and valleys, but those guys are that good because theyre good at not having it go farther than one or two starts. Both of them could throw nine-inning shutouts next start.The Rangers (90-63) had Thursday off, but their magic number for the division title was reduced to one game when second-place Houston lost at home to the Los Angeles Angels.dddddddddddd Texas can wrap up the AL West on Friday with a win at Oakland, or losses by both the Astros (81-72) and Seattle (80-72). The Mariners are a half-game behind Houston, but have played one less game than both the Rangers and Astros.Darvish and Hamels both also had extended rest before their last starts, and each likely will get one more start at home before the playoffs.Hamels will take the mound Friday night for the series opener against the As, seven days after the 2008 World Series MVPs last start.On the final day of the regular season last year, Hamels threw a three-hit complete game in a 9-2 win against the Los Angeles Angels to finally wrap up the division.Darvish is set to pitch Saturday, a week after struggling against the As at home in an outing when, without elaborating, he said he tried to tweak some mechanics in the bullpen before the game.That stuff that I tried ... it didnt work out. It was hard to do on the game mound, so Im probably going to try to be more close to where I was before, Darvish said through his interpreter this week. Im always trying to improve, Im trying to find something better for me to work.Since coming to Texas from Japan before the 2012 season, Darvish has made only postseason start for the Rangers. That was in the AL wild-card game at the end of his first s