Game 160 lineups: Nats vs. Pirates

The Nationals are prepping their starters for the National League Division Series and if tonight's starter Stephen Strasburg is the Game 2 starter, he will have eight days off.

Game 2 of the NLDS is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 7.

Strasburg has had a tremendous year, going 14-4 with a 2.68 ERA. Tonight is a good test for the Nats hitters, facing a very good right-hander in Gerrit Cole (12-11, 4.23) for Pittsburgh.

Right fielder Bryce Harper back in the lineup batting second. Manager Dusty Baker has not let Harper go past six innings in his first two games back from the August knee injury. If Harper is going to play in the last three games this weekend, as Baker said could happen, will he ramp him up from seven to eight to nine innings by Sunday?

Ryan Zimmerman struck out seven times in three games in Philadelphia. He took Thursday off. It was also his birthday. It will be important to have Zimmerman get some good at-bats and quality swings in before next Friday.

Daniel Murphy got some good swings in Thursday, going 3-for-4. Baker said afterwards that Murphy was doing a better job of swinging at better pitches, something he had trouble doing during a recent downturn at the plate.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, XM 183/Internet 869, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly Clear, 66 degrees, wind 3 mph in from left field

NATIONALS (96-63)
SS Trea Turner
RF Bryce Harper
3B Anthony Rendon
2B Daniel Murphy
1B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Jayson Werth
C Matt Wieters
CF Michael A. Taylor
RHP Stephen Strasburg

PIRATES (73-86)
2B Adam Frazier
LF Starling Marte
CF Andrew McCutchen
1B Josh Bell
3B David Freese
RF Gregory Polanco
C Elias Díaz
SS Sean Rodriguez
RHP Gerrit Cole