Edwin Jackson? Sure, why not?

Yeah, just two days ago he was terrible in Game 3. But he pitched pretty well after a rough second inning. And he wound up throwing only 68 pitches. And with Davey Johnson going to his bullpen early in Game 5, he needed someone to protect the Nationals' modest lead in the seventh; just get through this frame, and he can turn things over to Tyler Clippard in the eighth and closer Drew Storen in the ninth.

Johnson's ploy worked, sort of.

Jon Jay led off the seventh, and Jackson walked him. Carlos Beltran laced a double into the right-field corner, with Jay holding at third. With the infield back, Jay scored when Matt Holliday grounded to shortstop. Jackson struck out Allen Craig on a hard slider. But, Ho! What's this? A four-pitch walk to Yadier Molina?

Why yes, it was.

But Jackson, who won a World Series with the Cardinals just a year ago, struck out David Freese with another tough slider. And now Clippard and Storen await, with the score Nationals 6, Cardinals 4 in the bottom of the seventh, a trip to the NLCS on the line.