Game 162 lineups: Nats at Rockies

DENVER - For the last time in 2018, hello from the ballpark. The scene today at Coors Field should be a wild one, with the Rockies seeking their first division title while also keeping an eye on what's happening in the Dodgers-Giants game at AT&T Park. They could end the day as National League West champs, as the league's second wild card or still tied with the Dodgers and heading to L.A. for a tiebreaker game Monday.

Suffice it to say, there are some things at stake - for Colorado, not Washington. Which is why the Nationals decided not to pitch Max Scherzer today and instead go with Erick Fedde. The rationale: Had the Rockies been facing elimination, Scherzer would have started. But because they're already in (even though there's a difference between winning the division or the wild card) the Nats will protect their ace's arm. The Dodgers may not like that, but you have to understand the Nationals' thinking here with the major league leader in innings and pitches thrown in 2018.

So this will be a big assignment for Fedde, and the Nationals see value in that. They want him to be a big part of their future. He needs to show he's up to the task of pitching a big game on the road. We'll see how much rope they give him.

Meanwhile, Bryce Harper. Oh, yeah, this could be his final game in a Nationals uniform. It probably won't be as emotional as Wednesday's home finale in D.C. was, but there will be emotions nonetheless as the right fielder plays his 927th game for this franchise.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES
Where: Coors Field
Gametime: 3:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 60 degrees, wind 7 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
CF Victor Robles
SS Trea Turner
RF Bryce Harper
3B Anthony Rendon
LF Juan Soto
1B Mark Reynolds
2B Adrian Sanchez
C Spencer Kieboom
RHP Erick Fedde

ROCKIES
CF Charlie Blackmon
2B D.J. LeMahieu
LF David Dahl
3B Nolan Arenado
SS Trevor Story
RF Carlos Gonzalez
1B Ian Desmond
C Chris Iannetta
LHP Tyler Anderson