Nats Game Night – 7:05pm vs. Dodgers

Starters » Ross Detwiler (9-6, 3.16 ERA) vs. Chris Capuano (11-10, 3.60 ERA)

When » Thursday, 7:05 p.m.

Where » Nationals Park, Washington

TV » MASN HD

Radio » 106.7 The Fan FM, WFED 1500, WHFS 1580

The Nationals get another chance to clinch a playoff berth tonight when they finish a three-game series with the Dodgers. The magic number remains one after they lost Game 2 of a doubleheader in heartbreaking fashion – 7-6 on a ninth-inning homer by Los Angeles star Matt Kemp after rallying from 6-0 down in the eighth inning.

Tough loss, especially after a blown call by the umpiring crew in the fourth inning handed the Dodgers an extra run. No matter. Washington didn’t exactly put itself in the best position to win. Davey Johnson even pulled three starters – Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmermann and Adam LaRoche – before his bench began the rally in the eighth. They fell short. But that hasn’t shaken their manager’s confidence – at all.

“I believe calls here and there that they can give momentum to the other club. And it could go both ways. A bad call can help us and get us going in the right direction,” Johnson said. “But we’re in control of the situation. If we play up to our capability today, tomorrow, the next day I’m not worried about us. I don’t care. It’s a five-game lead. We got six games in the loss column. We just need to do what we’re capable of doing. We’re in control. I don’t care about any of the other clubs.

Ross Detwiler gets the nod on Thursday in a possible clincher. No team in Major League Baseball has yet secured a playoff spot so the Nats would be the first. The 2007 first-round pick pitched well last Friday in Atlanta with one run allowed in six innings, but was the tough-luck loser. Detwiler is 0-1 against Los Angeles in his career with a 3.77 ERA in three appearances, two of those starts. He faced them on April 27, allowing three runs in six inning. Detwiler gave up five hits and two walks with four strikeouts in an eventual 3-2 loss.

Here are today’s lineups:

Dodgers

2B – Mark Ellis

LF – Shane Victorino

CF – Matt Kemp

1B – Adrian Gonzalez

SS – Hanley Ramirez

RF – Andre Ethier

3B – Luis Cruz

2B – A.J. Ellis

LHP – Chris Capuano

Nats

RF – Jayson Werth

CF – Bryce Harper

3B – Ryan Zimmerman

1B – Adam LaRoche

LF – Michael Morse

SS – Ian Desmond

2B – Danny Espinosa

C – Kurt Suzuki

LHP – Ross Detwiler

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