Die Jäger des Schicksals » beating the Miami Marlins 4-0 on Doug

WASHINGTON - For the second time in three seasons, the Washington Nationals will head to the post-season with the top seeding in the National League.They hope they can take advantage of that status this year.The NL East champion Nationals locked up home-field advantage until the World Series by beating the Miami Marlins 4-0 on Doug Fisters three-hitter in the opener of a day-night doubleheader Friday.Miami earned a split by winning the insignificant second game 15-7 with 22 hits, including Kike Hernandezs grand slam and J.T. Realmutos three-run triple. The Marlins hadnt scored at least that many runs since a 16-10 victory over the Nationals on Sept. 1, 2010, according to STATS.Washingtons record was 94-66 at the end of a long day; the last pitch was thrown 9 hours, 35 minutes after the first.Its important to have home-field advantage. If we want to get to where we want to get to, then thats important. So thats accomplished, rookie manager Matt Williams said.Only two regular members of Washingtons lineup, right fielder Jayson Werth and catcher Wilson Ramos, started Fridays second game; both sat out the opener. Werth tripled in the first inning, doubled in the second and singled in the fifth, and the right fielder also threw out Donovan Solano trying to stretch a single into a double. A homer shy of the cycle, Werth was hit by a pitch in the sixth and struck out in the ninth.Was he thinking about needing that homer in his final at-bat?I surely was. ... From T-ball on, I dont think Ive ever hit for the cycle, Werth said. I knew it was available. Especially in a blowout game, definitely wasnt trying to work a walk or anything like that.Taylor Hill (0-1) took the loss in his first major league start, allowing seven runs and 10 hits in 4 2-3 innings, but he also singled for what he said was not only his first hit in the majors but also his first hit ever in professional baseball.Believe it or not, Hill said, I had no hits prior in the minor leagues.A.J. Ramos (7-0) earned the win with a 1-2-3 eighth inning.Earlier, Solano was the only player who got a hit off Fister (16-6) a€” a pair of harmless singles in the first and fourth innings, and a triple with two outs in the ninth. The next batter, Casey McGehee, lined out to diving second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera to end that game.Fister threw 104 pitches, 77 for strikes, and heard a loud ovation when he jogged from the dugout to the mound for the ninth.Obviously some adrenaline, some emotions run through there, the lanky righty said. Its one of those things where you kind of take a second and you soak it in and then you get back to work.Washingtons Anthony Rendon hit a solo shot to left off wild-as-can-be Jarred Cosart (4-4 with the Marlins; 13-11 overall in 2014, including his time with the Astros) in the first for his 21st homer. Cosart walked eight.Fister had zero walks and nine strikeouts in the second shutout of his career.What really mattered, though, was sewing up the home-field edge.That was a big milestone for us, Fister said. Its always nice to be home. Youve got your home fans, weve got our own lockers, our own chairs, whatever it may be. Guys are comfortable here. And that means a lot.Then again, Washington knows full well being the highest-seeded club guarantees nothing. The Nationals led the majors with 98 wins in 2012, but were eliminated in the NL division series by wild-card St. Louis.This year they clinched their division title Sept. 16 and have gone 7-3 since then in the push for the NLs top record.They have everything they need over there to win a World Series, Cosart said.At 77-83, the Marlins could finish anywhere from second to fourth in the NL East, but they know they wont finish last.TRAINERS ROOMNationals: CF Denard Span returned to action for the first time since leaving Tuesdays game after a diving, tumbling catch that left his right knee scraped and sore. Span started Fridays first game, going 1 for 4 with a walk. Afterward, he said he felt rusty but fine. ... Zimmerman started the opener, playing left field for the second day in a row. He struck out as a pinch hitter in the second game.UP NEXTWilliams said the Nationals will stick to their planned starting pitchers this weekend, including RHP Stephen Strasburg (13-11, 3.23 ERA) for a final pre-playoffs tuneup Saturday against Marlins RHP Nathan Eovaldo (6-13, 4.44). Discount KD Shoes . The Los Angeles Clippers showed them just how ugly that life could be. Jared Dudley scored a season-high 21 points, Chris Paul added 16 points and 17 assists, and the Clippers jumped all over the Bulls in Roses absence for a 121-82 victory Sunday. Cheap KD Shoes Online . The league-leading New York Rangers outhit and outmuscled the Maple Leafs during a 3-0 victory on Saturday. Backup goalie Martin Biron stopped all 20 shots he faced to complete a nice workmanlike effort by the visitors. http://www.wholesalekdshoes.com/. Even that couldnt slow them down against the New Orleans Hornets. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored 31 points apiece and the Thunder overcame injuries to two key backups to beat New Orleans 101-93 Monday night for their 10th straight home win. Wholesale KD Shoes . - Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has nothing but good problems right now. Cheap KD Shoes Wholesale .com) - James Harden put the Houston Rockets on his back and willed them to an overtime victory on Thursday.Charlottesville, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - No. 4 Duke missed 10 of its first 11 looks from behind the arc and trailed by nine points late in the second half. Then the shots started falling. Quinn Cook made three 3-pointers in the final 4:38, Tyus Jones put the game away with a deep 3 with 10 seconds left and the Blue Devils went into Charlottesville and rallied late to stun No. 2 Virginia, 69-63, handing the Cavaliers their first loss of the season. Jones finished with 17 points while Cook and Justise Winslow netted 15 apiece for the Blue Devils (18-3, 5-3 ACC), who were primed to fall three games back in the ACC standings before closing the game on an 11-0 run. Malcolm Brogdon paced Virginia (19-1, 7-1) with 17 points, and Justin Anderson added 11. The Cavaliers were four wins shy of tying a school record for best start, set in 1981. The Ralph Sampson-led Cavaliers went to the Final Four that season. Virginia came in giving up a nation-low 49.1 points per game and looked strong on the defensive end for most of the game before the late collapse. Duke led 26-25 at halftime despite scoring all of its points in the paint or at the free throw line. Andersons sweeping layup early in the second half gave Virginia its first lead since it was 2-0. Jahlil Okafors tip-slam at the other end put Duke back in front, but London Perrantes came right back down for a layup that gave the Cavaliers a lead that they would hold for the next 16-plus minutes. Trailing by 11 near the midpoint of the second half, Tyus Jones finally hit Dukes first 3-ball. The Blue Devils kept pushing and had it down to two following Matt Jones layup on a nifty feed from Okafor, but Perrantes brought the crowd back to life witth a deep triple that sparked a 7-0 run the other way.dddddddddddd Winslow was assessed a flagrant-1 foul for grabbing Andersons leg when the two got tangled under the UVA basket during the surge. Anderson hit the two free throws and Anthony Gill drove in for a layup to stretch the lead back to 56-47. Duke scored eight of the next 10 to get within three at the final media timeout. Out of the break, Brogdons triple and an alley-oop to Anderson from Perrantes straddled a Cook trey and gave the Cavaliers a 63-58 lead. They went scoreless the rest of the way, missing four field goal attempts and a free throw. Matt Jones had Duke within 63-61 with his 3 from the top of the key, Winslow tied it with a layup and Cook forced a timeout with his triple at 1:19. After empty possessions both ways, Tyus Jones showed no nerves with a hand in his face and the game on the line, beating the shot clock with the game- clinching 3. Okafor, one of the candidates for ACC and National Player of the Year, was held to two points in the first half. Darion Atkins, who netted all nine of his points over the first 20 minutes, and timely double-teams kept Okafor in check early, but he came alive down the stretch and finished with 10 points and nine boards. Game Notes The first half was the only half this season that Duke did not hit a 3-pointer ... Earlier in the week, Duke dismissed guard Rasheed Sulaimon for repeated violations of team rules. It was the first player dismissed under coach Mike Krzyzewski ... Krzyzewski picked up his 53rd career win against Virginia. He also has 53 wins against Georgia Tech. He has beaten Maryland the most times, 55. ' ' '