Game 147 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

The Nationals haven't played any truly meaningful pennant-race games in mid-to-late September in any of the last six seasons. They've always either clinched the division or been too far back to have a realistic chance, leaving these last two weeks of the regular season to relatively meaningless ball.

This weekend, then, provides the closest thing we may experience to exciting pennant-race baseball. The Dodgers are in town, and so this is a showdown between the National League's top two teams, with an outside shot at home-field advantage at stake, but really just two very good teams going head-to-head a couple weeks before the playoffs begin.

Having said that, the Nationals aren't sending their very best to the mound. A.J. Cole starts Saturday's game, and Edwin Jackson starts tonight's opener. Barring something unexpected between now and then, neither of those guys is going to be starting a game in October.

Jackson, though, has been invaluable to the Nationals over the last two months, and tonight he'll have an opportunity to make another contribution in a big game. We'll see how he handles a very good Dodgers lineup (despite that club's recent tailspin).

LOS ANGELES DODGERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB Network (outside D.C. market), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, XM 185/869, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 4 mph in from center field

NATIONALS (89-57)
SS Trea Turner
LF Howie Kendrick
2B Daniel Murphy
1B Ryan Zimmerman
3B Anthony Rendon
RF Jayson Werth
CF Michael A. Taylor
C Matt Wieters
RHP Edwin Jackson

DODGERS (94-52)
CF Chris Taylor
SS Corey Seager
3B Justin Turner
1B Clay Bellinger
RF Yasiel Puig
2B Chase Utley
C Yasmani Grandal
LF Andre Ethier
LHP Alex Wood