WASHINGTON -- Clayton Kershaw was hardly at his best.Nothing new when it comes to October.He allowed eight hits and three runs. He needed 101 pitches just to make it through five innings. His career postseason ERA even rose a bit, up to 4.65.Didnt matter a bit to the lefty. Only this did: He earned a rare playoff victory.Backed by early homers from rookie sensation Corey Seager and Justin Turner off Max Scherzer in a matchup of Cy Young Award winners that promised more than it delivered, Kershaw helped the Los Angeles Dodgers edge the Washington Nationals 4-3 Friday in Game 1 of their NL Division Series.It was a grind. A lot of guys on base all the time. Definitely wasnt easy, Kershaw said. As close as you can bend without breaking, I guess.His work done, Kershaw was able to relax in the dugout, chewing gum and blowing bubbles while watching relievers Joe Blanton, Grant Dayton, Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen combine to give up one hit over four scoreless innings. Jansen got his first five-out save since April.Whatever weve got to do to win, right? Those guys are up to the challenge, Seager said about LAs bullpen. And theyve been up to it all year.Game 2 in the best-of-five matchup is Saturday at Washington.Facing the NL East champs, Kershaws three runs might not sound like an exorbitant total, but an opponent scored that many only once in the leftys preceding 16 starts. And there was a stop-and-start feel to the evening, because of plenty of boo-inducing mound visits from catcher Yasmani Grandal.I wanted to be sure on the signs. We were trying to change `em up pretty often, said Kershaw, who improved to 3-6 in the playoffs , a far cry from his regular-season record of 126-60 with a 2.37 ERA and three Cy Young Awards. It was mainly that I had so many guys on second base.Certainly did.Kershaw left the bases loaded in the second, and stranded two runners in both the third and fifth -- striking out Danny Espinosa along the way each time.We had him on the ropes a couple times, Nationals manager Dusty Baker said, and, you know, the big hit just escaped us.There was also a baserunning blunder by NL MVP contender Daniel Murphy in the seventh inning.Murphy, who hadnt started a game since Sept. 17 because of a strained glute muscle, reached when Baez walked him, but then was thrown out trying to steal second. Baker said it was Murphys decision to run there and acknowledged being surprised by the attempt.Theres two choices on that, Murphy said. Either be safe or dont run.In all, Washington went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.That meant the Nationals repeatedly let Kershaw off the hook. He sat out more than two months with a bad back before returning to the NL West winners in September and hadnt thrown more than 91 pitches since coming back.So what if he struggled?It feels good to win, and it feels good to win in this situation, Kershaw said. If I had pitched seven shutout innings and we lost, its a different feeling. At this time of year, you kind of just throw the stats out the window and you just win the game.He was staked to a 4-0 lead thanks mainly to Seager and Turner, before slowly giving back most of that margin.Kershaw allowed only one stolen base during 149 innings in the regular season, then allowed two on a single pitch in the third, when Bryce Harper (who had doubled) and Jayson Werth (who had walked) moved up. That became big when Anthony Rendon ripped a single to left field on a slider that didnt really slide, bringing both runners home and getting Washington to 4-2.Trea Turners sacrifice fly in the fourth cut LAs lead to a run.Like Washingtons Turner, LAs Seager is a rookie who has not played like one all year long.On the first pitch he saw from Scherzer, Seager turned on a 97 mph fastball and hit it to the deepest part of Nationals Park, beyond the 402-foot sign in center field, for a 1-0 lead.Scherzer plunked the next batter, Justin Turner, on the left arm. For whatever reason, the 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner for Detroit -- and a 20-game winner whos a leading contender for the NL honor this year -- never truly settled in.The Dodgers made it 4-0 in the third on Chase Utleys RBI single, then Justin Turners two-run shot on a 77 mph curveball. The ball sailed over the head of Werth, who jumped in vain to try to make a grab, then slammed his glove against the left-field wall.Homers have been Scherzers biggest problem the past two seasons: He allowed 27 in 2015, and a major league-high 31 in 2016.I made some mistakes, and they cost me, Scherzer said. I take ownership of that, and Im accountable for that.MAKING HISTORYBaker and LAs Dave Roberts became the first pair of black managers to face off in a postseason series. During pregame introductions, they met near home plate for a long embrace.TRAINERS ROOMNationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg threw a bullpen hours before Game 1 -- his first time on a mound since he hurt his right elbow a month ago. He was ruled out for the NLDS, but the Nationals hope he could return if the team advances. ... All-Star C Wilson Ramos, out for the season with a torn knee ligament, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.UP NEXTIn Game 2, RHP Tanner Roark (16-10, 2.83 ERA) starts for the Nationals, taking the assignment that likely would have gone to Strasburg if he were healthy. LHP Rich Hill (3-2, 1.84 ERA in six starts after a trade from Oakland) will pitch for the Dodgers. He was let go from Washingtons Triple-A Syracuse affiliate last year. Air Max Plus Ireland Sale . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. Air Max Plus Ireland . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. http://www.airmaxplusireland.com/ . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Cheap Air Max Plus Sale . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Air Max Plus Free Shipping . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. Etoo gave Jose Mourinhos team a decisive lead from Oscars back pass in the 34th. I understand why the ACC decided not to play a nine-game conference schedule, but I dont agree with it, and I think it will come back to hurt the leagues champion in playoff considerations. Every time the ACC champion is compared to its counterpart from the Pac-12, Big 12 or Big Ten, it will have played one less conference game.1. With all due respect to the other dozen or so games that Hurricane Matthew is threatening to postpone this weekend, the one that may leave a mark is No. 23 Florida State at No. 10 Miami. I dont know how that game could be made up, because the teams dont share an open date. If its not made up, what effect will it have on the Hurricanes playoff chances? What happens if Miami finishes a half-game out of the ACC Coastal championship? And if it is rescheduled, what shape will Florida State and Miami be in then?2. The Hurricanes are starting four freshmen, including at all three linebacker spots. With archrival Florida State on deck, someone asked Miami head coach Mark Richt what sort of confidence he had in his first-year starters. It better be high, because thats all we got, Richt said.Linebackers Zach McCloud, Shaq Quarterman and Michael Pinckney have combined for 8.5 tackles for loss and one interception. The Seminoles, though, will be different. The [freshmen] have not been through certain types of games that theyre about to go through, Richt said. They might hear it and visualize what it might be like, but until you live through it, its a different animal.3. We take for granted that No. 1 Alabama is going to be good. Is Nick Saban still coaching? Next question. But the seamless transition in defensive coordinator from Kirby Smart to Jeremy Pruitt is worth noting. The starting defense has given up a touchdown only to Ole Miss, which, yes, scored 43 points. But even then, after halftime, the Rebels scored only a field goal and, with the Crimson Tide leading 48-30, a spasm of two touchdowns in a span of :08 in the final minutes. To put it another way: Alabamas defense has allowed six touchdowns this season -- and scored five.4. Are you ready to ring the alarm in the SEC? The league is 5-5 against the other Power 5 conferences and 0-5 against top-10 opponents, although that will change this week, when No. 9 Tennessee plays at No. 8 Texas A&M. One team has to win. The SEC quarterbacks, with the excepttion of Chad Kelly of Ole Miss, Josh Dobbs of Tennessee and Trevor Knight of Texas A&M, are inexperienced.dddddddddddd And what about this? With the firing of Les Miles at LSU, Saban is the only coach in the league who has won even 100 games. Bret Bielema of Arkansas is second with 90 victories.5. In the wake of No. 5 Washingtons 44-6 rout of No. 15 Stanford, Huskies wide receiver John Ross says the score was an aberration. I still feel like that is a really good team, Ross said. What did he see to convince him of that? Just that they really didnt back down, he said. We got off to a really good start in the first half. They kind of slowed us down in the second half. I just know theyre better than that. We all can tell. The film doesnt lie. Weve seen the games. Both the Huskies (at Oregon) and the Cardinal (home vs. Washington State) have important Pac-12 North games on Saturday.6. As the Pac-12 Networks continue to struggle to gain traction in the television marketplace, both California and Washington State are dealing with significant athletic budget deficits. Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News reported this week that the Berkeley athletic department is projecting a loss of $21.76 million. Washington State pegged its loss earlier this year at approximately $13 million. A plan released last month by university president Kirk Schultz and athletic director Bill Moos to close the deficit included nearly $2 million from increasing student fees. They released the plan shortly after Cougars coach Mike Leach suggested that local police are targeting his players and not arresting others involved.7. Oregon coach Mark Helfrich is throwing open the quarterback job. He said he will give freshman Justin Herbert a chance to win the job from FCS transfer Dakota Prukop on Saturday, when No. 5 Washington comes to Eugene. Why is this even a topic of discussion when defense is the Ducks problem, same as it ever was? It may be unfair to judge new coordinator Brady Hoke and his 4-3 scheme. But Oregon ranks 10th or 11th in the Pac-12 in the major defensive categories. Opposing offenses have reached the red zone 25 times, scoring 19 touchdowns. Only one other Pac-12 school, Arizona, has allowed 19 red zone trips. ' ' '