Game 153 lineups: Nats at Pirates

PITTSBURGH - Hello from PNC Park, splendid as ever, and the possible site tonight of something special. Not for the home club, which has held a couple of celebrations here the last few years, but for the Nationals, who tonight have a chance to clinch a division title.

The Nationals' magic number, as surely you know by now, is two. In order to clinch the National League East crown tonight, they'll need to beat the Pirates and the Mets will need to lose to the Phillies at Citi Field. So, yeah, there's going to be a lot of scoreboard watching. Hopefully, if it's meant to be, the Mets game will end first, offering the Nats an opportunity to immediately celebrate on the field. But I'm guessing nobody in red is going to be too picky about this.

Gio Gonzalez gets the ball for this game, and perhaps this is an important test for the left-hander, who will get a chance to pitch in a game with a lot at stake in one of his final tune-ups before the playoffs. Daniel Murphy is out of the lineup for the fifth straight game with his mysterious left leg injury. Otherwise, all the regulars are in there for Dusty Baker.

Settle in and enjoy this one, folks. It could be one to remember.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, XM 184/869, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 83 degrees, wind 5 mph out to center field

NATIONALS (89-63)
CF Trea Turner
LF Jayson Werth
RF Bryce Harper
3B Anthony Rendon
C Wilson Ramos
2B Stephen Drew
1B Ryan Zimmerman
SS Danny Espinosa
LHP Gio Gonzalez

PIRATES (76-76)
2B Adam Frazier
C Francisco Cervelli
CF Andrew McCutchen
3B Jung Ho Kang
SS Sean Rodriguez
LF Gregory Polanco
1B David Freese
RF Josh Bell
RHP Jameson Taillon