Gonzalez (6-1), a former Phillies farmhand, struck out seven of the first nine batters and finished with nine strikeouts. That upped his total to 35 over his last four starts, all wins, in 25 innings.

Bryce Harper had two hits for Washington.

Sean Burnett came in with one out in the ninth after Nationals closer Henry Rodriguez allowed runners to reach second and third and escaped a jam to earn his second save in as many chances.

Rodriguez began the ninth looking for his 10th save in 13 chances, but was lifted after facing three batters and getting one out.

He was 59 years old.

According to West Virginia MetroNews, Stewart was playing golf in central West Virginia when he had a "serious heart attack." West Virginia officials confirmed Stewart's death a short time later.

West Virginia's athletic department did not immediately have a statement.

Stewart served as an assistant at West Virginia for eight full seasons before taking over as head coach before the 2008 Fiesta Bowl. His underdog Mountaineers beat Oklahoma in that game.

He later led West Virginia to a share of the Big East championship.

Before his time at West Virginia made many other stops during his coaching career, which spans back to 1977. One of his stints was as an assistant at Navy in 1984.

Stewart is survived by his wife, Karen, and son, Blaine.

The collision occurred late in the practice session. Shanahan was seen laying on the turf with dozens of players and team personnel surrounding him.

106.7’s Redskins beat reporter Grant Paulsen tweeted that “Shanahan was laid out on the ground for a couple minutes and was tended to by the training staff as players gathered around.”

Paulsen tweeted that Shanahan was knocked down by Brandyn Thompson.

Shanahan was seen smiling and talking to coaches after the practice,

However, a PR representative for the Redskins says Shanahan is “in no condition to conduct the press conference,” adding that Shanahan is fine.

Strasburg sent an 0-2 pitch from Wei-Yin Chen into the Baltimore bullpen in the fourth inning to put the Nationals ahead 5-3. After dusting off his home run trot and returning to the dugout, Strasburg responded to a curtain call by waving to the crowd of 41,918.

The hard-throwing Strasburg had five hits in 40 big league at-bats before Sunday. He singled and scored in the third inning, then followed a shot by Jesus Flores with one of his own in the fourth.

Known more for his pitching than his hitting, Strasburg (4-1) excelled at both. The right-hander allowed three runs, one earned, four hits and a walk in his first career appearance against Baltimore. He retired the last 10 batters he faced.

Since returning from elbow ligament replacement surgery last September, Strasburg is 5-2 with a 1.99 ERA in 14 starts.

Danny Espinosa also homered, and Bryce Harper drove in two runs and scored three to help the Nationals avert a three-game sweep by their regional rivals.

Chen (4-1) yielded six runs and eight hits in 4 1-3 innings and absorbed his first major league loss. The Taiwan native was vying to become the first Baltimore starter to begin his Orioles career with five straight wins since Jimmy Key in 1997.

The loss ended Baltimore's five-game winning streak and nine-game road run. The Orioles scored the game's first three runs but got only two hits after the second inning - both in the ninth.

Baltimore went up 1-0 in the first when Xavier Avery walked, advanced on a fly ball and scored on a single by Nick Markakis.

The Orioles added a pair of unearned runs in the second after Harper drifted from center to left field to chase down a wind-blown fly ball, then dropped it. Robert Andino drove in a run with a groundout and Avery added an RBI single before Strasburg struck out J.J. Hardy with two outs and runners on second and third.

Harper made amends in a three-run third. Strasburg singled, Espinosa doubled and Harper hit a liner to right that a diving Markakis gloved but lost when he hit the ground. The triple scored two runs, and Harper scored on a groundout by Ian Desmond.

Flores gave Washington a 4-3 lead with his first homer since Aug. 18, and that only served as a prelude to Strasburg's clout.

Desmond chased Chen with an RBI single in the fifth, and Espinosa homered with a runner on during a three-run eighth.

NOTES: Orioles C Matt Wieters, who had the day off after a night game, will have to wait until Monday to try and snap an 0-fror-18 slump. ... Tommy Hunter (2-2) takes the mound for Baltimore on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series against visiting Boston. ... Gio Gonzalez vies for his sixth win when the Nationals open a nine-game road trip Monday in Philadelphia. ... Avery got his first major league stolen base. ... Washington Capitals forward Jason Chimera fired a strike with the ceremonial first pitch.

With a breathtaking closing rush, the smooth-striding colt won the Preakness Stakes by a neck at Pimlico Race Course on a sunny Saturday, a nail-biter of a finish that topped his win two weeks ago in the Kentucky Derby.

The race unfolded the same way as the Derby, with the speedy Bodemeister moving to the lead under Mike Smith, with I'll Have Another hanging back in fourth in the 11-horse field.

The early fractions were slower than the Derby, but when it came time for Bodemeister to hang on, I'll Have Another found another gear under young jockey Mario Gutierrez and ran down trainer Bob Baffert's horse in the shadow of the wire.

"We're thinking Triple Crown, baby," an elated trainer Doug O'Neill said. "He's a special horse. We'll see how he comes out of it, and if he comes out of it in good shape, we're heading to New York, baby."

It's been 34 years since Affirmed swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont and became the 11th and most recent Triple Crown champion. Since then, 11 horses have won the first two legs only to come up short in the Belmont. The most recent try came in 2008, when Big Brown was pulled up around the turn for home and did not finish. Before that, Smarty Jones was run down in the final 70 yards by Birdstone in the 2004 Belmont.

With the two victories thrusting the colorful and controversial O'Neill squarely into the limelight, scrutiny is sure to intensify about his violations for giving his horses improper drugs. He was fined $1,000 and suspended 15 days in one incident. He is contesting another.

"We know we play by the rules," O'Neill said. "It's all about the horse, and we're just going to focus on the horse."

If margins are an indication, perhaps I'll Have Another has a Triple Crown in his future. Affirmed won the Derby by the identical 1½ lengths over Alydar, and then beat his rival by the same neck margin in the Preakness.

"I didn't feel confident we were going to get there until 10 yards from the wire," owner J. Paul Reddam said.

I'll Have Another, sent off as the second choice at 3-1 over 8-5 favorite Bodemeister, covered the 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.94. The winner returned $8.40, $3.80 and $2.80. Bodemeister returned $3.20 and $2.80, and Creative Cause paid $3.60 to show.

Creative Cause was third, 8¾ lengths behind hard-luck runner-up Bodemeister, followed by Zetterholm, Teeth of the Dog, Optimizer, Cozzetti, Tiger Walk, Daddy Nose Best, Went the Day Well and Pretension.

Baffert, a five-time Preakness winner, thought his colt - named for his 7-year-old son, Bode - could pull off the win.

"I felt really good about where he was," Baffert said. "I really thought he was going to do it. The winner is a good horse. He should get the respect now that he deserves."

The chestnut colt has never been favored in any of his seven races, but won five of them along with $2,693,600 after he was purchased by Reddam for $35,000 on the advice of O'Neill's brother, Dennis.

"He showed he's the real deal. He's a real race horse. He gutted it out," Reddam said. "The other horse was not stopping. He ran a bang-up race, to come and catch him, how can you criticize that? For those who have followed the horse and bet on him, that's been pretty rewarding. I don't know if that will be the case next time, though.

Gutierrez, who was riding at Hastings Park in Western Canada until showing up in California last winter, displayed the calm and cunning of a veteran.

"It's not me, it's him. It's all about the horse," the 25-year-old jockey from Mexico said. "He just keeps proving people wrong. I'm so happy for him because he's such a great horse. He has a tremendous kick in the end."

BALTIMORE (AP) - No one is loving the run up to Saturday's Preakness more than Doug O'Neill.

The trainer of Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another has spent nearly two weeks in Baltimore, hanging with Ravens coach John Harbaugh, throwing out the first ball at an Orioles game, and hammering away at Maryland crabs for the first time.

He also huddled with Secretariat's jockey Ron Turcotte about racing strategy, held daily news briefings at the stakes barn and was forthcoming when asked about his history of violations for giving his horses improper drugs.

Through it all, O'Neill and his crew are enjoying the moment in their own California free-wheeling style .

"It's been a blast. Incredible. We've taken advantage of it, and done some cool things," O'Neill said Friday morning, wearing a Preakness cap signed by area school children. "They just really rolled out the red carpet for us. Obviously, it's a lot of fun when your horse is doing as good as he is."

I'll Have Another has been doing just fine since catching the speedy Bodemeister in the final 100 yards to win the Derby by 1½ lengths two weeks ago.

"He looks fantastic. Great energy," O'Neill said. "He's maintained his beautiful, long stride. We're just very happy with each day that goes by."

Life can become a whole lot happier for O'Neill if I'll Have Another wins the Preakness. A victory over 8-5 morning-line favorite Bodemeister and nine other rivals would set up a Triple Crown attempt three weeks later in the Belmont Stakes.

It's been 34 years since Affirmed swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont and became the 11th Triple Crown champion. Since then, 11 horses have won the first two legs only to come up short in the Belmont. The most recent try came in 2008, when Big Brown was pulled up around the turn for home and finished last.

O'Neill isn't even bothered that I'll Have Another is the 5-2 second choice behind the horse he defeated. He noted this is his first Preakness while Bodemeister's trainer Bob Baffert has won the race five times in 11 tries.

"I totally respect that. I just hope anyone who bets Bodemeister is regretting it Saturday night," O'Neill said earlier in the week.

Baffert, meanwhile, has been singing the praises of his colt, who set a blistering pace in the Derby, but was unable to fend off I'll Have Another. After watching him gallop at Churchill Downs earlier in the week, Baffert gave a thumb's up and had Bodemeister shipped to Pimlico Race Course.

On Friday, Baffert said his colt is coming into the race in great shape, but knows the Derby winner is the horse to beat.

"He's a good horse. He's won all three of his races this year against a strong group of California horses," Baffert said, referring to I'll Have Another. "I respect the Derby winner. I come here hoping I can turn the tables this time and get it done."

The Preakness is a sixteenth-of-a-mile shorter than the Derby, about equal the distance to the wire in the Derby where Bodemeister lost the lead.

"He just has to run that Derby race back," Bodemeister's jockey Mike Smith said. "If he runs his race like that, we'll be in good shape to get the job done."

The second leg of the Triple Crown could turn into a two-horse race, with Bodemeister breaking for the lead from the No. 7 post, and I'll Have Another - in the No. 9 gate - trying to stay close until jockey Mario Gutierrez determines when to make his move.

If Bodemeister tries to open a big lead early, O'Neill says his colt will be closer to the front than in the Derby. If Smith tries to slow things down, O'Neill says he has no problem with I'll Have Another setting the pace.

"The cream is starting to come to the top," said Hall of Famer trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a five-time Preakness winner who will send out 30-1 long shot Optimizer. 'We should know a little bit more about them (after Saturday). You should start to get some form on these horses, if they're championship caliber. If they're Seattle Slew or Affirmed, they just keep on doing it. That's what we're looking for."

That's not to say there aren't other 3-year-olds in the field capable of pulling a surprise.

Start with Went the Day Well, the bay colt owned, trained and ridden by the same team that won last year's Derby with Animal Kingdom. Went the Day Well had a troubled trip in the Derby under John Velazquez, but made up 7½ lengths in the final 220 yards and finished fourth - 2½ lengths behind I'll Have Another.

Graham Motion believes the colt he trains for Barry Irwin's Team Valor International is getting better. He's the 6-1 co-third choice with Creative Cause.

"My horse is very adaptable. I think that's one of his biggest attributes. He can kind of do anything you want with him," Motion said. "He ended up much farther back than Johnny wanted in the Derby, and that's probably what cost him being second. Maybe cost him the win. ... If nobody goes with the speed horse (Bodemeister), he's not going to be too far off the pace, probably."

Creative Cause is not to be dismissed, either. The gray colt trained by Mike Harrington moved into challenging position on the turn for home in the Derby, but flattened out and finished fifth - just three lengths behind the winner. He also has a win over I'll Have Another (in the Best Pal Stakes) and Bodemeister (in the San Felipe).

There are five new shooters set to go, all at odds ranging from 15- to 30-1.

Among them are Teeth of the Dog (15-1), who was third in the Wood Memorial for trainer Michael Matz; Tiger Walk (30-1), a local favorite owned by Kevin Plank's Sagamore Farm; and Cozzetti (30-1), trained by Dale Romans, who won last year's Preakness with Shackleford.

The forecast for Saturday calls for temperatures in the low 80s, with a slight chance of rain. A crowd of more than 100,000 is expected, with the Preakness post time set for 6:18 p.m. EDT.

The field, from the rail out:
Tiger Walk (Kent Desormeaux, 30-1);
Teeth of the Dog (Joe Bravo, 15-1);
Pretension (Javier Santiago, 30-1);
Zetterholm (Junior Alvarado, 20-1);
Went the Day Well (John Velazquez, 6-1);
Creative Cause (Joel Rosario, 6-1);
Bodemeister (Mike Smith, 8-5);
Daddy Nose Best (Julien Leparoux, 12-1);
I'll Have Another (Mario Gutierrez, 5-2);
Optimizer (Corey Nakatani, 30-1);
and Cozzetti (Jose Lezcano, 30-1).

Hitting cleanup while Michael Morse is on the disabled list, LaRoche leads the Nationals with seven homers and 29 RBIs. Talk about a turnaround: LaRoche hit .172 with three homers in 43 games in 2011 before having left shoulder surgery.

Gonzalez (5-1) allowed three runs, four hits and two walks. His 60 strikeouts are four more than Strasburg's total.

LaRoche and Xavier Nady hit consecutive homers off Erik Bedard (2-5) in the sixth.

Facing reliever Evan Meek with the bases loaded and two outs in a 4-3 game in the seventh, LaRoche lined the first pitch down the right field line. The scoreboard noted his milestone hit, and the announced crowd of 25,942 gave LaRoche a standing ovation. He doffed his cap.

Meek, called up before the game from Triple-A Indianapolis, pitched one inning. He walked two batters and hit another, then served up LaRoche's big hit.

Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard let in one run in the eighth, and struggling fill-in closer Henry Rodriguez overcame an error for his ninth save in 12 chances. He ended the game by getting Josh Harrison to ground into a double play.

In Bedard's six innings, the left-hander gave up four runs and six hits, including three homers - all solo shots. He struck out seven and walked one. In his previous outing, a week earlier at home against Washington, Bedard lasted all of eight pitches before departing because of back spasms.

This time, the second batter Bedard faced, 19-year-old Bryce Harper, barely missed connecting for a homer in the third consecutive game, sending a shot high off the out-of-town scoreboard on the wall in right field and ending up with his first major league triple. Ryan Zimmerman's groundout drove home Harper to make it 1-0.

Ian Desmond put the hosts ahead 2-0 by leading off the third with his fifth homer of the season, and LaRoche and Nady made it 4-0 in a three-pitch span three innings later.

How good was Gonzalez at mixing 95 mph fastballs with his tough curveball? One batter - OK, it was Bedard - thought he'd struck out even though he hadn't.

After the third pitch of Bedard's first at-bat was called a strike, he began walking to the dugout, thinking that was strike 3. Except that pitch only made the count 1-2, because the first pitch of the at-bat was called a ball. So Bedard trudged back to the batter's box, and Gonzalez smiled broadly at the scene - then really did finish off the strikeout with a looping 77 mph curveball.

That gave Gonzalez five Ks in a six-batter span.

He retired 10 Pirates in a row until walking Yamaico Navarro to start the fifth inning, and that brought trouble. Rod Barajas followed with a single to right, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. After a strikeout, Harrison pulled Pittsburgh within 2-1 with an RBI liner that center fielder Harper got a late read on.

In the seventh, Gonzalez walked Barajas then gave up Harrison's first homer of the season, a two-run shot to left that made it 4-3. That ended Gonzalez's streak of 58 innings without allowing a homer.

Still, the Pirates' offensive woes continued: They've gone a dozen games without scoring more than five runs in any.

The Wednesday night game was also Military Appreciation Night and featured a four-helicopter flyover before the game.

Of more immediate concern, will I'll Have Another eat the ABC7 camera while Tim interviews the crew?

The NCAA announced Thursday that the East Regional of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament will be held at the Verizon Center and be hosted by Georgetown.

The Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games will be held on March 28 and 30. Arlington, Texas, Los Angeles and Indianapolis will host the other three regionals for next year's tournament. It will be the sixth time since 1998 that the D.C. area will host NCAA Tournament games.

"We’re happy to bring this great event to our city for Georgetown fans and others who love March Madness," Georgetown Athletic Director Lee Reed said in a statement.

2006 marked the last time the NCAA held a regional semifinal and final at the Verizon Center. During that year, George Mason continued their Cinderella run to the Final Four by knocking off Connecticut in the Elite 8.

More recently, the arena hosted 2nd and 3rd round games of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

The 2012 tournament will mark the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the NCAA Men's Tournament, and NCAA Executive Vice President  Mark Lewis said that it was important to hold part of it in the nation's capital.

"There was a concerted effort to include cities with a rich history to help mark that milestone," he said. "We think celebrating 75 years of one of the country’s favorite sporting events in our nation’s capital and a great basketball city is fitting.”

Ticket information for the three games that will comprise the East Regional will be released at a later date.

Anthony Bass (2-4) - making his 10th start in the majors - tied his longest outing by going eight innings.

He allowed five hits and one run - on Bryce Harper's homer to right-center, the 19-year-old outfielder's second consecutive game with a solo shot. Bass didn't allow a hit until Ian Desmond's single in the fourth.

Bass struck out seven and walked one before giving way to reliever Andrew Cashner for the ninth.

Cashner struck out Harper swinging at a 101 mph pitch to end it. Venable led off the game with a seemingly harmless blooper off Strasburg (3-1) that dropped in for a double as left fielder Roger Bernadina, center fielder Rick Ankiel and shortstop Ian Desmond all watched it fall.

After a walk, Yonder Alonso delivered an RBI single, and later, on Strasburg's first pitch after an 8-minute rain delay, Baker's single brought home two more runs to make it 3-0.

All told, it was a slog of an opening inning for Strasburg, who needed 39 pitches to get three outs. Including the rain delay and a visit from pitching coach Steve McCatty, that half-inning alone lasted about 25 minutes from start to finish.

James Darnell's first homer of the season, a solo shot in the third, made it 4-0, and Strasburg only stuck around for one more inning. Strasburg gave up four runs and seven hits, leaving after 81 pitches, 55 for strikes.

He walked two batters and struck out five, and his ERA rose from 1.64 to 2.25.

When he was coming back late last season from reconstructive elbow surgery, Strasburg lasted only three innings on Sept. 11, in his second appearance of 2011, and then went four innings on Sept. 23.

The right-hander had gone at least six innings in all previous seven starts this season.

Harper became the youngest major leaguer to homer since 1998, going deep on a solo shot to straightaway center field in the third inning off right-hander Tim Stauffer. The home run came in the outfielder's 15th game and 54th at-bat with the Nationals.

He's the youngest current player in the majors - and, at 19 years and 211 days old, the youngest to hit a homer since Adrian Beltre of the Los Angeles Dodgers was 19 years and 171 days old on Sept. 25, 1998, according to STATS LLC.

Harper was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft and spent time at Single-A and Double-A last season. He began 2012 at Triple-A Syracuse, then was called up to the majors in late April because of a series of injuries to Nationals starters.

Harper skipped his final year of high school, earned his GED, then played one season of junior college baseball at the College of Southern Nevada to become eligible for the draft and get a head-start on his professional career. He signed a five-year, $9.9 million contract, including $6.5 million in signing bonuses, with the Nationals in August 2010.

Washington also lost another player to injury in a season that has been filled with them. Catcher Sandy Leon - making his major league debut - left the game in the fourth inning after spraining his right ankle in a collision at home plate.

Hunter, who took over for Bruce Boudreau after he was fired in late November, will return home to Canada, Capitals GM George McPhee said at a press conference. McPhee said Hunter consulted with his family before making the decision to go back to Ontario.

The Capitals longtime captain took over behind the bench on Nov. 28, guiding the team to a 30-23-7 record in 2011-12 and the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Hunter left his post as the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights, where he had coached since 2001, to take the same post in Washington.

Washington's playoff run ended on Saturday in a 2-1 Game 7 loss to the New York Rangers. Hunter said that going home to the Knights, calling it a "family business," outweighed staying with Washington next season.

Hunter played for the Capitals between 1987 and 1999, helping lead the franchise to its only Stanley Cup Final appearance in 1998.

Without Hunter behind the bench, the London Knights claimed the OHL championship and will compete in the 2012 Memorial Cup, the annual tournament which crowns Canada's junior hockey champion. The Knights current coach is Dale Hunter's younger brother, Mark.

ABC7's Alex Parker contributed to this report.

Ramos' knee buckled as he chased a passed ball during the seventh inning of a 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday night. He fell on his back in pain and had to be helped off the field, putting little weight on the knee.

An MRI confirmed that he tore the ligament, costing the Nationals their young catcher. He's the 11th Nationals player to go on the disabled list this season.

The Nationals called up catcher Sandy Leon from Double-A Harrisburg to back up Jesus Flores. The 23-year-old Leon was batting .319 with a homer and 12 RBIs in 27 games at Harrisburg.

The Nationals lost catcher Wilson Ramos, whose right leg buckled while he chased a passed ball in the seventh inning. He had to be helped from the field.

Zimmermann (2-3) gave up five hits and fanned nine. Washington's starters have allowed one earned run or fewer 19 times this season.

Espinosa hit a tiebreaking solo homer off Jose Arredondo (2-1).

Nationals rookie Bryce Harper was back in right field with a large bandage above his left eye, covering a 10-stitch gash from slamming his bat against a wall on Friday night.

He went 0 for 4 and struck out.

Richards scored less than two minutes in, and Del Zotto doubled the lead in the third period to help the top-seeded Rangers improve to 5-0 in Game 7s at Madison Square Garden.

That set up a matchup with the New Jersey Devils, the team the Rangers beat in the 1994 conference finals en route to their first Stanley Cup title in 54 years.

That series will open Monday in New York.

New York and Washington alternated wins and losses from Game 1 on, and this one didn't come easy for the Rangers, who missed a chance to eliminate the Capitals in Game 6 on the road.

Just 38 seconds after Del Zotto made it 2-0 at 10:05 of the third, Roman Hamrlik sent a shot off of New York forward Derek Stepan that fluttered past Lundqvist for his only blemish of the night.

WSJ has released the video of Hawkins interviewing Ward after he was targeted with racist tweets by some Boston Bruins fans when he scored the game-winning goal in Game 7, knocking the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins out of the playoffs.

Tonight the Caps play the New York Rangers in another Game 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Ward says he wants to encourage more black kids to play hockey.

“I’m a black player playing in a white man’s game,” Ward says to Hawkins. “I kinda know what I’ve kinda signed up for all these years playing hockey.”

At least for the time being.

The school had met with representatives from the Atlantic 10, a league with a higher basketball profile than that of the CAA.

According to the Washington Post, Athletic Director Tom O'Connor said the school " felt it was in our best interests to stay.” 

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, O'Connor said Mason had two guiding principles as it explored the A-10: "Our goals" for the athletic program and "our choice" independent of other schools.

Ultimately, he said, the Patriots felt it was in their best interests to stay because they are a founding member of the league (in 1982), because of the league's geographic and competitive stability, and because "we think good things will happen with the CAA in the future." 

Washington matched its season high for runs by taking advantage of Mike Leake (0-5), who lasted three innings and remained winless in six starts. He gave up seven hits and six runs, including the homers by Bernadina and Espinosa.

It's the second time Leake has failed to last four innings this season.

Left-hander Gio Gonzalez (4-1) struck out a season-high nine batters - including six in a row - but lasted only five innings because of a high pitch count. His performance came one day after Stephen Strasburg struck out 13 Pirates, including seven in a row, for a 4-2 win.

Bernadina also had one of Washington's three homers in the win in Pittsburgh.

The Nationals are in first place in the NL East on the strength of their pitching, which had allowed only 93 runs heading into the Cincinnati series - fewest in the majors. Washington's .237 team batting average ranked near the bottom of the league.

Washington got rolling right away against Leake, who gave up Bernadina's homer and Adam LaRoche's RBI double before getting an out. He threw 28 pitches before retiring a batter.

Bernadina also singled home a run in the second. Espinosa hit his second homer in the third inning, forcing manager Dusty Baker to get his bullpen working.

Gonzalez gave up a pair of runs and didn't allow a homer in one of the majors' most hitter-friendly ballparks. He hasn't allowed a homer in his last eight starts since Sept. 23, a span of 50 innings that is the longest such streak of his career. It's also the longest active streak in the majors.

Too many pitches was the problem.

Jay Bruce hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and the Reds had a chance to get back into the game when Gonzalez lost his touch in the fifth. Zack Cozart singled home a run to cut it to 7-2, and Cincinnati loaded the bases with back-to-back walks and only one out.

Gonzalez threw a fastball past Bruce for a strikeout, then got Scott Rolen to foul out on his 115th pitch of the game.

The Reds hurt themselves in the eighth. Brandon Phillips was on third when Rolen hit a grounder to third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Phillips couldn't get back in time and was tagged out.

The Reds went on to score one run in the inning, on Ryan Ludwick's RBI single off Ryan Mattheus, but left the bases loaded again when Cozart struck out.

NOTES: Washington's Jordan Zimmerman (1-3) starts Saturday's game against Mat Latos (2-2), who has won his last two decisions. ... Nationals and former Reds manager Davey Johnson called Reds shortstop Barry Larkin a complete player. "I've managed a lot of great ones," Johnson said. "The way he played, he was arguably the best one I've managed." Larkin goes into the Hall of Fame this summer. ... Rick Ankiel was out on a weird play in the fifth. His grounder hit first base and popped high in the air. Reds 1B Joey Votto caught it barehanded and threw to Alfredo Simon covering the base.

The same couldn't be said about the fans in the stands, though, as their team gets ready for a win-or-go-home matchup with the New York Rangers in Manhattan.

For most Caps fans, watching the game on television will be nervewracking enough, but that's not enough for some fans, who are ready to shell out big bucks to see the game live at Madison Square Garden.

MORE: A look back at every Game 7 in Capitals history

Perusing Craiglist, Stubhub and other ticket sites, seats in the highest reaches of the Garden are going for upwards of $400 each...and those are the cheap ones, in some cases. The ones who do make the trek, though, say it's well worth it.

"We go on a lot of road trips," Capitals fan club member Dave Kausch said. "to travel alone, (it's) a couple hundred dollars." He added, though, that he might save his money on the chance the Capitals can advance and eventually play either play the Phoenix Coyotes or the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals.

It's one step at a time though for the guys on the ice - a win Saturday puts the Capitals into the Eastern Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils. It would be the team's first trip to the 3rd round since 1998.

Those who are choosing not to spend the money to see the game live are pouring their cash into Capitals gear. The team store at Kettler has been packed, even on days when the team isn't playing or practicing. Specifically, there's one guy everyone wants a piece of, and it's Washington's rookie goaltender.

"(Braden) Holtby, everything Holtby," store manager Hunter Davis said. "He's so popular, he can run for president."

Holtby's success on the ice has been supplemented in the past week with the birth of his first son, Benjamin Hunter Holtby. Some fans even see that as a good omen.

"I'm nervous, but I think the baby is a good sign," Capitals fan Britney Marcum said. "Braden's baby is a good sign."

Faceoff in New York is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

We hesitate to use the cover-all "Game 7" term, since one of them was a Game 5, but regardless, history has not been kind to the Capitals when all the chips are on the table.

Despite their dramatic 2-1 overtime win over Boston in Game 7 of this year's Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, the Capitals are 3-8 all time in games in which the winner moves on and the loser goes golfing.

There has been dramatic victory and sudden heartbreak throughout the Capitals history in these games. Here's a brief look back at each time the franchise has played in one of these pivotal games.

1985 Patrick Division semifinals: Back when the first round of the playoffs was a best of 5, the Capitals and New York Islanders went the distance. At the Capital Centre, the Islanders completed a comeback from down 2-0 in the series with a 2-1 series-clinching win.

1987 Patrick Division semifinals: In a game now known as the Easter Epic, the Capitals and Islanders went four overtimes to decide a series victor. Finally, 68:47 into overtime in the wee hours of Easter morning, Pat LaFontaine spun, fired and knocked Washington out of the playoffs.

1988 Patrick Division semifinals: One year later, the Capitals had another chance to win a Game 7 in overtime, and this time, Dale Hunter was the hero. A back-and-forth series with the Philadelphia Flyers ended with a play known simply by Caps fans as "The Goal."

1988 Patrick Division finals: The culmination of a wild, high-scoring series was a 3-2 victory by the New Jersey Devils in Landover.

1992 Patrick Division semifinals: The Capitals were the first casualty at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins as they rolled to a second straight Stanley Cup, but not before the Penguins had to come back from down 3-1 in the series. Pittsburgh grabbed a 3-1 over Washington in Game 7.

1995 Eastern Conference quarterfinals: The Penguins got the Capitals again in the lockout-shortened 1995 season, and again, it was the Caps blowing a big series lead. The Capitals lost Games 5, 6 and 7, including a 3-0 home loss in the series finale, to get eliminated once again.

2008 Eastern Conference quarterfinals: Bruce Boudreau led the Capitals to a stunning turnaround during the 2007-08 season, resulting in a Southeast Division title. However, Joffrey Lupul exacted some sort of revenge for Dale Hunter's 1988 goal for scoring one to knock out Washington.

2009 Eastern Conference quarterfinals: It took two decades, but the Capitals finally won a Game 7 again when Sergei Fedorov's late goal sank the upstart New York Rangers at Verizon Center.

2009 Eastern Conference semifinals: The players were different but the refrain was the same when the Capitals and Penguins met in an epic 2nd round series. Game 7 was a dud, though, as Sidney Crosby and Pittsbugh soundly defeated Washington 6-2.

2010 Eastern Conference quarterfinals: In a series Capitals fans would rather forget, their offense went silent in the final three games against the #8 Montreal Canadiens. Jaroslav Halak shut Washington down in a stunning 2-1 Game 7 loss at home.

2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinals: Two words - Joel Ward.

Lead plaintiff Art Monk played wide receiver for the Washington Redskins from 1980 to 1993, and says in the lawsuit filed last week that he suffered multiple concussions in that time.

More than 1,000 former NFL players are suing the league across the country, saying not enough was done to inform players about the dangers of concussions in the past, and not enough is done to take care of them today.

The league has said any allegation that the league intentionally sought to mislead players is without merit.

After Wednesday night's 2-1 win for the Washington Capitals over the New York Rangers in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, the town is still buzzing over the team being one win away from the Conference Finals.

Goals from Alexander Ovechkin and Jason Chimera, along with another clutch performance from goaltender Braden Holtby, kept the Capitals season alive. They now face yet another Game 7 on the road, with the decisive game coming Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.

"They've done well on the road," Capitals fan Mark Walsh said. "I think they can do it."

Walsh is right - during this playoff season, the Capitals have done 4-2 away from home, including their series-clinching overtime victory against Boston on April 25.

The Capitals run is benefiting more than just the team and the psyche of the fans, too. For the second straight series, The Front Page in Arlington will host a packed house for Saturday's elimination game.

"We're doing a couple extra Tvs, we're bringing in a 16-foot TV," owner George Fernandez said. "It's going to be a big night."

Meanwhile, the buzz about the Capitals being one win away from their first trip to the 3rd round since 1998 is palpable.

"If they keep playing the way that they played Monday and (wednesday), they should be able to win Saturday," Capitals fan Sonja Rodriguez said.