WASHINGTON -- Max Scherzer remembers being urged to try to slow everything down for his postseason debut five years ago.Take an extra breath, they said. Be calm as can be, they said. Dial down the intensity, they said.Not exactly what he needed to hear, Scherzer quickly discovered.Scherzer, who starts Game 1 of the NL Division Series for the Washington Nationals against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, was fed those frequently heard words of wisdom way back when.Pitching for the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium, he walked two batters in the first inning. Thats when he cursed at himself and realized he never should have listened to others -- and wound up taking a no-hitter into the sixth that day.Scherzer is as intense as they come when hes pitching, and he needed to maintain that in the postseason.Whatever you do to have success in the regular season, do the exact same thing. Yes, the lights are brighter. Yes, the seats are all full. Yes, the start times are weird. Theres tons of media. You have a lot of distractions; youve got family and friends all wanting tickets. The outside things are a little bit different, but mentally, you have to still be the same, Scherzer explained.I know theres this notion of, `Hey, just go out there and relax. Try to slow the game down. That can be the worst advice anybodys ever given, he continued. No, you hit the ground running and do exactly what you do. If you go out there with aggression in the regular season, you do the same thing.So expect to see Scherzer stomping and stalking around the Nationals Park mound on Friday, while facing the likes of Corey Seager, Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Turner and Chase Utley.And they know what theyre in for, even if the Dodgers didnt face Scherzer in 2016, when he went 20-7 with a 2.96 ERA and a majors-leading 284 strikeouts, including a record-tying 20 in one game.Obviously, hes a really good pitcher. Lively fastball. Strikes out a lot of guys, and has won a lot of games for them this year, said Turner, who has never batted against Scherzer. Were going to go study up on him and watch the films and put together a game plan.Thats the same sort of thing the Nationals might be expected to say about Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner who went 12-4 with a 1.69 ERA in only 21 starts this season, missing more than two months with a back injury. Since returning in September, he was 1-2 with a 0.96 ERA in five starts.Scherzer became a leading candidate for this years NL Cy Young Award -- he won the AL honor for Detroit in 2013 -- by becoming, to use his words, better as a pitcher.I continued to evolve, he said, pointing specifically to a cut slider that he throws to left-handed batters.The hitters I face are great. Theres a reason theyre driving nice cars on the other side, Scherzer said. So I had to find more swing-and-miss pitches for lefties, and still find ways to pitch effectively against right-handed hitters.It took Scherzer a while to get going this season: During April and May, he was a combined 5-4 with a 4.05 ERA.He started slow this year, Nationals shortstop Danny Espinosa said. But I dont think we expected that to continue.Of course not. From June 1 on, Scherzer was 15-3 with a 2.44 ERA.When its time to shut the game down, to let the other team know that the games over and theyre not getting any runs, its obvious. When he says, `Game over, its game over. You can see it, Espinosa said. You have to have those pitchers who, when you get `em a lead, they keep that lead, and throw a shutdown inning. He does that.Game notes The Dodgers landed in Washington on Wednesday and went to Nationals Park for a workout that started at about 9 p.m. ... Nationals manager Dusty Baker will not commit to a rotation beyond Game 1, although RHP Tanner Roark is expected to start Game 2, and he was the first pitcher on the mound for live batting practice at the start of Wednesdays workout. I dont think theyre trying to play coy just because, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said about the Nationals being tight-lipped about their pitching plans, but I dont think it affects us. ... Washington 2B Daniel Murphy still wouldnt say whether he expects to play in Game 1; he hasnt started a game since Sept. 17 because of a strained buttocks muscle.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Brian ONeill Jersey . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Brett Favre Vikings Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. http://www.thevikingsshoponline.com/Youth-Chris-Doleman-Vikings-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Brian ONeill Youth Jersey . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. Mike Hughes Jersey . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. LOS ANGELES -- Two opposite ends of the starting pitching spectrum will be paired Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium as the Dodgers and Padres meet in the third game of a four-game series heading into the All-Star break.Right-handed Rule 5 draftee Luis Perdomo, 23, will be making his seventh start for the Padres.Right-hander Brandon McCarthy, 33, will be making his second start of the season for the Dodgers while just over 14 months removed from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery.Both will be coming off impressive outings.McCarthy, last Sunday allowed two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in five scoreless innings against the Rockies in his first Major League start since early last season.A day later, Perdomo, relying on his recently-developed sinker, held Arizona to three runs (two earned) on nine hits with five strikeouts over six innings at Chase Field in his best start of his rookie season.Both managers were happy with the strides made by two pitchers coming from different directions.McCarthy wasnt expected to return to the Dodgers rotation until after the All-Star break. But his minor league rehab assignment was cut short after only four starts (5.27 earned run average) after Clayton Kershaw went on the 15-day disabled list eight days ago with a herniated disk.We kind of sped it up a little bit with Brandon due to the circumstances, said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. But Brandon was excited about getting back. And I thoughtt he was as sharp as could be hoped in his first start.dddddddddddd There are some limitations moving forward.McCarthy said his fifth start since the start of the 2015 season was a step forward but not the final destination.I feel I can get deeper into games, he said after his return start. I dont think you can celebrate anything until the end of the season.As for Perdomo, the promising youngster figured to be at the back end of the Padres bullpen this season. The Dominican Republic native had never pitched above Single-A when the Padres acquired him from Colorado following the Rule 5 draft.Perdomo had a 9.88 ERA when he made his first Major League start in an emergency on May 14. His ERA was still 9.50 when injuries to other starters forced the Padres to move him permanently into the rotation on June 15.Perdomo is 2-0 in four starts since with a 5.48 ERA. But he has made gains with his command with each outing and has a 3.75 ERA in his last two outings, each of which qualifies as a quality start.We really like Perdomos stuff and the way he has progressed this season, said Padres manager Andy Green. Hes been a quick learner while thrown into the fire. I think were looking at someone who fits into our rotation plans for years to come.The Padres are 3-1 in Perdomos four starts as a regular member of the rotation. ' ' '