Needing one win to clinch a postseason berth, Nationals manager Davey Johnson wrote out his lineup on Thursday afternoon and filled it with all of his regulars.
Adam LaRoche, nursing a bit of a stiff knee, had an X-ray that showed nothing serious and Johnson had no qualms about using him, and everyone else was ready for duty, Johnson said. Even everyone in his bullpen, which endured a double-header on Wednesday, including closer Tyler Clippard, who was used in both ends.
The Nationals likely will not go crazy with their celebration tonight if they do indeed clinch a playoff spot. They’ve said repeatedly that their sights are on the division title.
“We’re in control of the situation,” Johnson said Thursday. “If we play up to our capability today, tomorrow, the next day, I’m not worried about us. It’s a five-game lead (over the Braves), we’ve got six games in the loss column. We just need to do what we’re capable of doing. We control it. I don’t care about the other clubs.”
Here are the full lineups:
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
Dodgers
Mark Ellis 2B
Shane Victorino LF
Matt Kemp CF
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
Hanley Ramirez SS
Andre Ethier RF
Luis Cruz 3B
A.J. Ellis C
Chris Capuano P
