Washington Nationals Announce 25-Man NLDS Roster

With the Washington Nationals set to begin their National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET, the team has announced its 25-man roster (via Bill Ladson of MLB.com).

Pitchers: LHP Sean Burnett, LHP Ross Detwiler, LHP Gio Gonzalez, LHP Michael Gonzalez, LHP Tom Gorzelanny, RHP Tyler Clippard, RHP Christian Garcia, RHP Edwin Jackson, RHP Ryan Mattheus, RHP Craig Stammen, RHP Drew Storen, RHP Jordan Zimmermann

Catchers: C Jesus Flores, C Kurt Suzuki

Infielders: SS Ian Desmond, 2B Danny Espinosa (S), 1B Adam LaRoche (L), INF Steve Lombardozzi (S), INF Chad Tracy (L), 3B Ryan Zimmerman

Outfielders: OF Roger Bernadina (L), OF Bryce Harper (L), OF Tyler Moore, OF Michael Morse, OF Jayson Werth

According to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post, the rotation will see Gio Gonzalez pitch Game 1 followed by Jordan Zimmermann in Game 2, Edwin Jackson in Game 3 and Ross Detwiler in Game 4 (if necessary).

As Kilgore notes, the only potential surprises are the exclusions of veterans John Lannan and Mark DeRosa, though I highly doubt any Nationals' fans will lose sleep with either unavailable to the team for the NLDS.

Still, the one glaring name left off of the roster—Stephen Strasburg—will certainly sting if the Nationals fail to advance to the NLCS. Then again, I'm sure folks in Washington are plenty tired of that debate at this point.

One thing that is clear looking at this roster is the lack of playoff experience these players as a whole possess. While experience doesn't win baseball games, it certainly helps when dealing with the pressures of a playoff environment. 

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