Washington Nationals: Difo and Lopez To Make NLDS Roster
While the Washington Nationals NLDS roster isn’t officially released, but Wilmer Difo and Reynaldo Lopez are expected to make the team
The Washington Nationals have yet to unveil their full roster for their NLDS matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which begins tomorrow. But, we are starting to find out bits and pieces of who will be a part of the 25-man team for this series.
Today, manager Dusty Baker revealed that infielder Wilmer Difo and right-handed pitcher Reynaldo Lopez are going to make the team for the postseason:
Difo and Lopez both played key roles for the Washington Nationals down the stretch. Difo played in 31 games for the Nats this season and had a slash line of .276/.364/.379 with one home run, seven RBI’s, and three stolen bases.
More from District on Deck
When you look at Difo’s value to this team, he can play both middle infield positions and third base if needed. With Daniel Murphy still battling the buttocks injury, Difo could be one of those defensive replacements late in the game. He is 2-for-9 with three RBI’s this year as a pinch-hitter.
As for Lopez, he excelled mainly as a reliever in the month of September. In five games (one start) during the month of September, he went 3-1 with a 3.50 ERA. Against the Pirates on September 24, Lopez threw 5.1 innings against the Pirates, which helped the Washington Nationals clinch the NL East.
Lopez won’t be in the rotation, but if the Nats do go with Joe Ross in a Game 4 start (if necessary), the 22-year-old right-hander will play a pivotal role in long relief. He has the fastball that can fool hitters, but he has to control it.
On July 19, Lopez made his Major League debut against the Dodgers. While he struck out nine batters in 4.2 innings, he did give up six runs, ten hits, and a home run to Chase Utley in the 8-4 loss.
Want your voice heard? Join the District on Deck team!
This year, the Washington Nationals had to rely on some of their young players in key roles. With Wilson Ramos out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL, the Nats will go with rookie Pedro Severino to catch Max Scherzer tomorrow afternoon. These three rookies will get their first chance to shine in October.
As for some of the other decisions, Dusty Baker told the media today that three left-handers are going to be in the bullpen, but those exact three relievers aren’t clear. However, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweeted out which lefty might not make the cut:
In the starting rotation, the rotation behind Max Scherzer is still unclear. Baker said today that he is still deciding on who to pitch in Saturday afternoon’s game (4:08 p.m ET, FS1)
It will be interesting to see which starter Baker decides to go with. Since he hasn’t made the decision yet, it could be possible that the Game 2 starter could depend on what happens in tomorrow night’s game between Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw (5:38 p.m ET, FS1).
This article originally appeared on 
