NLDS Game 1 lineups: Nats vs. Dodgers

The day has come at last. It's been a long wait since the Nationals clinched the National League East title 13 days ago. But this afternoon, the postseason begins in D.C. It's Game 1 of the National League Division Series, and it's as good a pitching matchup as you can get: Max Scherzer vs. Clayton Kershaw.

The two aces will take center stage and draw most of the attention in the buildup to the game, but there are other storylines to this one as well. Such as the significant presence of rookies on both rosters. Each team has two rookies in the lineup: Trea Turner and Pedro Severino for the Nationals, Corey Seager and Andrew Toles for the Dodgers.

And then there's this intriguing twist to the Nats lineup: Bryce Harper is batting second with Jayson Werth third. Dusty Baker's explanation, in a nutshell: Werth has the best numbers on the team against Kershaw (10-for-35, two homers, .816 OPS), and this creates some better righty-lefty balance. We'll see how that works out, but there's some thought that this could help take some pressure off Harper.

The weather looks fine for today. It's cool and overcast, so the late-afternoon shadows shouldn't be a real factor as feared. It should be a great scene here at Nationals Park, with postseason baseball returning to town for the first time in two years.

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES - GAME 1
LOS ANGELES DODGERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 5:38 p.m. EDT
TV: FS1, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 570 AM, 980 AM (JIP), XM 81/89, MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 71 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

NATIONALS
CF Trea Turner
RF Bryce Harper
LF Jayson Werth
2B Daniel Murphy
3B Anthony Rendon
1B Ryan Zimmerman
SS Danny Espinosa
C Pedro Severino
RHP Max Scherzer

DODGERS
2B Chase Utley
SS Corey Seager
3B Justin Turner
1B Adrian Gonzalez
RF Josh Reddick
CF Joc Pederson
C Yasmani Grandal
LF Andrew Toles
LHP Clayton Kershaw