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Nationals' NLDS Game 3 lineup: Matt Williams resists urge to change things up

Washington Nationals' manager Matt Williams is sticking with the lineup that the Nats used throughout the last few months of the regular season. No Ryan Zimmerman. The Nationals and Doug Fister take on the San Francisco Giants at 5:00 PM.

By Patrick Reddington
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

After the Washington Nationals scored three runs total in twenty-seven innings in back-to-back losses in the first two games of the NLDS with the San Francisco Giants, Nats' skipper Matt Williams was asked yesterday if he was even considering shaking things up a bit, by maybe inserting Ryan Zimmerman in the starting lineup?

"There's nothing as of right now as far as getting Zim in the game in any certain position. But there's opportunity for that, so we'll look at it, we'll look at the matchups that we have against Madison..." -Matt Williams talking potential lineup changes on Sunday

"We want to certainly look at those options," Williams told reporters in AT&T Park where the Nationals held an off-day workout.

"So we'll go over that. There's nothing as of right now as far as getting Zim in the game in any certain position. But there's opportunity for that, so we'll look at it, we'll look at the matchups that we have against Madison and see how guys have done. We have some sense of that, of course, already.

"So we'll see how it goes today, make a decision and we'll have that for everybody in the morning."

Zimmerman returned from a hamstring injury late in the regular season to make a few starts and get at bats in before the postseason started. He was 3 for 17 career vs Giants' starter Madison Bumgarner in their respective careers, with a double and a home run off the 25-year-old starter.

Did Williams end up doing something drastic and change things up after dropping the first two games? Nope.

Resisting the urge to mess with the lineup that helped the Nationals to the best record in the NL and the NL East crown, Williams stuck with what got the Nats to the postseason.

The Nationals have Doug Fister on the mound tonight in Game 3 of the five-game series. More on the pitching match soon. Are you surprised Williams went with the rubber stamp lineup? Were you expecting a shakeup?

• While you wait for the start of Game 3 of the NLDS, check out the latest edition of Nats Nightly with Dave Nichols from the District Sports Page and FBB's Doghouse:

Check Out Baseball Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with District Sports Page Nats Nightly on BlogTalkRadio

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