The Washington Nationals will look to avoid an early exit from their very first franchise post-season when they face the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday at RFK Stadium. 

With the series at 2-1, the Nationals will look to even the series up and force a deciding Game 5.  The 2011 World Series champion Cardinals have dominated Washington 20-4 in the last two games.  Kyle Lohse (16-3, 2.86 ERA) will aim to advance St. Louis into the NLCS while Ross Detwiler (10-8, 3.40 ERA) will look to extend the Nationals storybook season. 

Fortunately for Washington, Detwiler has performed nearly two complete runs better (2.59 ERA) at home than on the road (4.38 ERA).  However, his only start against the Cardinals wasn't a pretty one, as they knocked him around for seven runs (three earned), four hits and five bases on balls in only 2 1/3 innings pitched. 

To top it off, the St. Louis batting order is hitting a whopping .357 against him.  To make matters even worse, the poor outing was his very last start.

On the other hand, Lohse is coming off a solid outing against the Atlanta Braves in the NL Wild Card Game.  He pitched 5 2/3 innings while giving up just two runs on six hits. 

Much like Detwiler, the pitcher does perform more effectively on his home turf than on the road. 

Although Lohse's 8-2 record with a 3.41 ERA away from Busch Stadium is not considered bad by any stretch.  However, the right-hander has been lit up by the Nationals this year.  In his two starts against the Major League's best team, Lohse has given up nine runs (6.94 ERA) on 17 hits in only 11 2/3 innings. 

CLICK HERE to watch the Washington Nationals vs. St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS via live stream.  Coverage will begin at 4 PM ET.

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