Giants, Jake Peavy edge Nationals, Stephen Strasburg in NLDS opener

The Nationals took the field Friday to the theme from the movie "Gladiator," a bombastic classical track that seemed fitting for this occasion.

For much of the summer, the Nationals pounded their rivals, asserting their superiority in virtually every phase of the game. And in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, they were given a forum to prove as much against an overmatched foe.

But in a 3-2 loss to the Giants, the Nationals did little to alter their reputation of supremely talented underachievers.

In his long-anticipated playoff debut, Stephen Strasburg lit up the radar gun with 98-mph fastballs. Wunderkind Bryce Harper hit a homer that breached the airspace over the nation's capital.

And the playoff-tested Giants yawned at both feats.

"Nobody is scared of the moment," said Giants starter Jake Peavy, who allowed two hits in 52/3 scoreless innings in the best postseason outing of his career.

This was supposed to be the beginning of redemption for the Nationals, who endured playoff heartbreak in 2012 before missing out on the festivities entirely in 2013.

But what the Giants lacked in talent, they made up for with pure execution. It began with Peavy, who made Nationals Park sound like the Library of Congress. By pelting the edges of the strike zone, he never allowed the Nationals to flex their muscles, forcing 44,035 anxious fans to sit on their hands.

"We understand that we may not be the favorites," said Peavy, who departed with a 2-0 lead. "But we play every pitch."

Perhaps more importantly, the Giants played whatever hand they were dealt. They took what they were given, chasing Strasburg with a hail of singles up the middle.

St. John's product Joe Panik singled home a run in the third and Brandon Belt did the same in the fourth. In the seventh, Panik tripled to left against reliever Craig Stammen and scored on Buster Posey's single to make it 3-0.

"They have the ability, with veteran hitters in the middle of their lineup that are battle-tested, to drive runs in," said Nationals manager Matt Williams, who watched his own hitters falter in big spots.

Twice Ian Desmond stepped to the plate with the power to change the result, only to come away with nothing.

The first time came with the bases loaded in the sixth, when he couldn't catch up to Hunter Strickland's 100-mph fastball. The Nationals eventually figured out Strickland, who surrendered solo shots to Harper and Asdrubal Cabrera. Harper's drive landed in the third deck.

Desmond's second failure came in the eighth, when he struck out against Sergio Romo, stranding runners at first and second.

One inning later, the Nationals officially found themselves needing to beat Tim Hudson in Game 2 Saturday to avoid going to San Francisco in an 0-2 hole.

It was Hudson who triggered a mini-controversy before the series opener by saying out loud what so many still think.

He prefaced his scathing critique by praising the Nationals as a talented group.

"But come playoff time, talent can take you a long ways, but what do you have [inside]?'' Hudson said this week. "That's going to take you real far. And I think we've got a group in here that really has some of that."