Is a Beltway Series on tap after O’s, Nationals clinch divisions?

For the rest of the month of September, the Washington D.C./ Maryland area rule baseball. So are we going to go with the “Beltway Series” or the “Parkway Series” or other?

Both the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles became the first teams to clinch their respective divisions Tuesday night and both teams could be on a collision course to face each other in the (World) Beltway or Parkway Series.

Yes, it does seem too far ahead to say both teams will play each other in the Fall Classic, however expect the debate between the name to come up time and time again as long as both teams are playing in October. And this debate is a better one than RG III vs. Kirk Cousins.

(For the record, I kind of like “Beltway Series.”)

The Orioles clinched their first AL East pennant since 1997 Tuesday night after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 after Steve Pearce (Baltimore’s current hero) put the O’s 3-1 after launching a three-run homer off of Jays pitcher Drew Hutchinson in the bottom of the first after Toronto took an early 1-0 lead in the top half of the inning.

“It’s been a long time coming for the city of Baltimore,” center fielder Adam Jones said of the O’s first home win to clinch the division since 1969.

“This team grinds out everything,” Jones added. “Everybody has each other’s back, there’s never an ‘I’ with anybody here. And that’s why we’re celebrating right now.”

On the other side of the spectrum, the Nationals beat Atlanta 3-0 to clinch their second NL East title in three years, keeping the Braves’ baserunners up to second base as Tanner Roark, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen all combined for the shutout.

“Tonight, we celebrate this milestone but realize that there is still work to do and goals to accomplish,” Nationals managing principal owner Ted Lerner said.  “We are looking forward to the possibilities that lie ahead.”

Both teams made the playoffs in 2012, with the Nats as the best team in baseball and the O’s breaking in as a wild-card team. Neither team went past the Division Series, losing their respective series in five games.

While it’s not the first time both teams clinched their divisional pennants, Tuesday night marked the third time since the leagues split into divisions in 1969 that two teams from the same metro area clinched on the same team, the last being the L.A. Dodgers and Angels in 2004.

If both the Nationals and the O’s can make it all the way to the World Series, it’ll be the first time since the Yankees and Mets played each other in the 2000 World Series that two teams from the same metro area played each other in the Fall Classic.

Both teams  come in with very different stories, however.  The Nationals are one of the best teams in the National League, floating a game and-a-half above the Dodgers for the best record in the NL, while the O’s are currently the hottest team in the American League at the moment, but were four games behind the surging Angels for the best record in the AL entering Tuesday night.

The Nationals and Orioles may rest some players as we get closer to the postseason, however, both teams are still expected to play the rest of the season as if they’re still both playing to get into the postseason.

Baltimore has an easy schedule to finish off the year, finishing this series against Toronto on Wednesday and host the Red Sox in the final regular season series at Camden Yards before traveling to the Bronx and Toronto to finish the season.  If they can win out, and pending how the Angels finish their season, the O’s could take home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

The Nationals end their road trip at Miami this weekend, before returning home for series against the Mets and Marlins to end their season, series of which they can sweep and hold onto the best record in the National League and home-field advantage as well.

But for both teams to reach the World Series, both teams will need their key players to step up in October.

Nelson Cruz and Adam Jones will have to continue hitting the way they’ve been all season.  Baltimore is 75-31 when they both homer and 16-30 when they don’t.  With Chris Davis suspended for a good chunk of the postseason (at least into the Game 3 of the ALCS if they get that far), both have to step up to the plate (figuratively and literally) and lead the O’s offense.

The O’s have a deep bullpen, something that can benefit them throughout October.  Baltimore starters just have to survive five innings before manager Buck Showalter chooses between Tommy Hunter, Darren O’Day, Brian Matusz and/or even Andrew Miller in the middle-late innings before going to Zach Britton in the ninth.

The Nats pitching staff will be one of the focal points of their postseason run.  One of the keys will be finding a way to let Stephen Strasburg pitch at Nationals Park and only at Nationals Park.  The right-hander has a 2.70 ERA in 17 home starts this season, holding hitters to just .237 at the plate.  However, Strasburg has not been their best pitcher this season.  Tanner Roark (14-10, 2.85 ERA) and Jordan Zimmerman (12-5, 2.83 ERA) have been solid for Washington during their run.

It seems fair (even if you’re in the east coast) to talk about a possible Beltway Series considering the high probability of it happening at the end of October.

For the first time in postseason history, we’ll get to feature Congress, Capitol Hill, Federal Hill in a World Series broadcast and, most importantly, crabcakes.

Crabcakes.

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