Now that the pesky Nationals are out of the way, the Cubs can exhale and continue on their merry way in the postseason and ... uh-oh.
The next hurdle for the Cubs looms significantly larger than the one they just cleared after edging the Nationals 9-8 on Thursday night in Game 5 of the NL Division Series.
The defending World Series champions now must face a Dodgers team that led baseball with 104 victories in the regular season and is coming off a sweep of the Diamondbacks.
Oh, and the Dodgers are well-rested and have home-field advantage.
Here are some key storylines heading into Game 1 on Saturday at Dodger Stadium: