The Nationals haven’t had much success on offense during the NLDS, but manager Davey Johnson is sticking with his usual lineup for Thursday’s elimination game.
“Going right with what we had yesterday,” he said before the game. “Going to have a little better outcome.”
While the starters remain the same, the rest of the game could unfold differently than any other contest Nats fans have seen this year. With the Cardinals on the verge of taking the series, it will be all hands on deck except potential Game 5 starter Gio Gonzalez, Johnson said.
That includes Game 2 starter Jordan Zimmermann, who will be available out of the bullpen and likely would get the call if Ross Detwiler gets knocked out of the game early. Zimmermann threw only 63 pitches in Monday’s start in St. Louis.
The Cardinals also are sticking with their usual lineup; not a tough decision for manager Mike Matheny considering his crew has scored 20 runs in the last two games.
Washington Nationals
Jayson Werth, RF
Bryce Harper, CF
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B
Adam LaRoche, 1B
Michael Morse, LF
Ian Desmond, SS
Danny Espinosa, 2B
Kurt Suzuki, C
Ross Detwiler, P
St. Louis Cardinals
Jon Jay, CF
Carlos Beltran, RF
Matt Holliday, LF
Allen Craig, 1B
Yadier Molina, C
David Freese, 3B
Daniel Descalso, 2B
Pete Kozma, SS
Kyle Lohse, RHP
