Leaning against the wall outside the visitors’ clubhouse after Game 3 of the National League Division Series, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak matter-of-factly told the truth. Which, in short, is that he was as surprised as anybody that rookie Pete Kozma is playing shortstop for his team this postseason.

It’s a long season, but Daniel Descalso believes that the last three games have been more indicative of his capabilities than the entire tale of the tape in 2012.

On Wednesday, the individual performances of Chris Carpenter and Pete Kozma helped spoil playoff baseball’s long-awaited homecoming to the nation’s capital, leading the Cardinals to an 8-0 win over the Nationals in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

In front of a sold-out Nationals Park crowd, postseason baseball returned to the nation’s capital on Wednesday for the first time since the Washington Senators reached the 1933 World Series.

For the first time in the National League Division Series, there were changes in manager Dusty Baker’s lineup vs. the Giants in Game 4 on Wednesday.

Kyle Lohse has pitched in the postseason with the Twins, Phillies and Cardinals, a total of seven years, including this season’s National League Wild Card game against the Braves.

As was the case for much of the regular season, Hector Sanchez will be behind the plate for Barry Zito in Game 4 of the NLDS, with Buster Posey moving to first base in place of Brandon Belt.

Mike Matheny is wearing a different hat — only figuratively speaking — in his newest role with the Cardinals, but the first-year skipper says playoff excitement remains the same as it was when he was playing for the Redbirds.

With Lance Lynn unavailable on Wednesday, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny turned to rookies Trevor Rosenthal and Joe Kelly as expected.

The Nationals returned home to play their first postseason game at Nationals Park on Wednesday, and they may have brought the flu bug with them.

The Reds revealed Wednesday morning that they had received approval from Major League Baseball to replace Johnny Cueto on the National League Division Series roster with Mike Leake.

The Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants both staved off elimination Tuesday with impressive performances from their starting pitchers, despite challenging efforts from the opposing starters.

Nick Swisher had barely unzipped his equipment bags upon reporting to Spring Training, and already the Yankees outfielder was talking about how last year had been “super stressful” for him and vowing that 2012 just wasn’t going to be that way.

Craig Stammen wants to make one thing clear: the illness that afflicted him earlier this week is no excuse for his struggles.

For most of the Nationals’ remarkable run to the best record in baseball, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler reveled in their status as “The Other Guys” of the National League’s top starting rotation.

The Nationals entered the game batting just .188 with runners in scoring position for the series, leaving 19 men on base over their first two games. Then they went 0-for-8 with RISP in Game 3, stranding another 11 runners.

Prior to Wednesday, the last time right-hander Edwin Jackson faced the Cardinals was Sept. 28, lasting 1 1/3 innings and allowing nine runs. In Game 3 of the National League Division Series, the Cardinals scored early and often against Jackson as they blanked the Nationals, 8-0, at Nationals Park.