Intro:

Washington Nationals coach Matt Wieters looks ahead to Game 1 of their National League Division Series with the San Francisco Giants on Thursday.

Script:

SOUNDBITE (English) Matt Wieters, Washington Nationals coach:

"Well, a lot of things. Over the last month, everybody has been really good. They've pitched really well. And so Stephen (Strasburg) in particular has gotten stronger as this month has gone on. His fastball velocity has ticked up each month during the course of the season, and we all forget about the fact that he had some surgery last off-season, and it took him some time to get back to where he really wanted to be, and I think he's proven that over the last four to six weeks, that he feels good. His location has been good. He's healthy and strong, and he's looking forward to this opportunity. All of those things combined contributed to the decision."

SOUNDBITE (English) Matt Wieters, Washington Nationals coach:

"Well, nobody wants to fall behind, so our objective tomorrow will be to go out there and win. It's going to be boring again, but it's the way it is. Once it's done, it's done. You can't do anything about it. Tomorrow we'll go out and play, and see if we can beat them. And then if we do, we do... if we don't, we don't, then we have another one the next day. There's a lot made of it, but the game is the same as it is in the regular season. It is execution and it's throwing the ball where you need to throw it, making the plays, taking advantage of a mistake, getting base hits with guys in scoring position. That's the same formula that you use during the regular season. The lights are a little bit brighter, that's about it. But our guys are itching and ready, and they're excited to play tomorrow."