WASHINGTON (AP) Doing a little research ahead of the World Series, Washington Nationals second baseman Brian Dozier came across some numbers that made him feel OK about his team's long layoff.

"I saw a stat today where there's been 12 times where teams have had five or more days off going into the World Series. And you know what the record was? 6-6," Dozier said. "So it's not that big a deal."

Baseball is a sport that is more of a daily grind than any other, with game followed by game followed by game for six months, so this stretch is rather unusual for the Nationals: They haven't played since finishing off a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Championship Series at home last Tuesday - and they won't play until Game 1 of the Fall Classic on the road next Tuesday.