Wire Taps: Nationals and Dodgers ready for NLDS Game 3 tonight in D.C.; Nats’ bullpen management so far + more...

Everyone involved in the NLDS got a day off yesterday, from the Nationals and Dodgers to the beat writers covering the teams, all of whom had to fly across the country for the third game of the series, which starts at 7:45 PM EDT tonight in the nation’s capital.

While you’re waiting for the game to begin, and waiting to find out who’s starting for the Nationals, go read your links...

NATS BEAT:

Plenty of questions for Nationals to answer before Game 3 - (MASN)
"When they left Chavez Ravine late Friday night, they legitimately didn’t know whether they’d be giving the ball to Max Scherzer or Aníbal Sánchez for tonight’s game (7:45 p.m.)."

'All hands on deck' for Nats' bullpen in NLDS - (MLB.com)
"In addition to anchoring the rotation, Strasburg and Scherzer have remarkably emerged as the Nationals’ most dependable relievers over their first two victories of the postseason."

2019 National League Division Series at Nationals Park: What You Need to Know - (MLB.com)
"Nationals Park features a number of options for transportation including nearby Metro stations and local bus routes, and WMATA has announced extended Metro hours for Nationals Postseason games."

The Nationals Can't Possibly Keep This Up - (MLB.com)
"It would be nice, albeit utterly ridiculous, if the Washington Nationals decided to have Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer pitch every inning in the team’s series against the Dodgers..."

NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

MLBTR Poll: Will Stephen Strasburg Opt Out? - (MLB Trade Rumors)
"[Scott Boras] is, however, laying the groundwork for potential free agency by declaring stud starters such as Strasburg immune to any downturns in the market, per Bill Shaikin of the LA Times."

Nationals' Dave Martinez follows wrong process, gets right result with walk of Dodgers' Max Muncy - (Sporting News)
"It’s definitely not conventional to blatantly put your team in a position to lose a critical playoff game. That's the polite way to say it. But Martinez’s decision ultimately worked out..."

Strasburg Throws the Dodgers a Curve - (Fangraphs)
"The Nationals have developed a certain sort of notoriety, similar to that of the Oakland A’s, for their relative incompetence when it comes to postseason baseball."

Who will win out? 3 keys to Nats-Dodgers NLDS - (MLB.com)
"With the next two games set for the nation’s capital, here are three matchups that could decide who earns a spot in the NL Championship Series..."

Can the Dodgers overcome a pitching plan that beat them in 2018 World Series? - (ESPN)
"The Los Angeles Dodgers weren't necessarily expecting Max Scherzer to jog out of the bullpen and pitch in relief Friday night in their most recent game in the MLB playoffs -- but they weren't necessarily surprised by it, either."

Dodgers’ Kershaw Debate Rages On As Nats Get Their Split - (Forbes)
"The first thing that popped into my head after Clayton Kershaw pitched well enough to win (or lose) last night at Chavez Ravine was, 'I don’t envy the column writers.'"

Was Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw tipping pitches in NLDS Game 2? - (MLB.com)
"It's possible, many keen viewers believe, that the Nationals spotted something in Kershaw’s delivery that tipped them off to which pitch was coming next."