The first place Washington Nationals are gunning for a sweep on Thursday against the Houston Astros, who almost resemble a professional baseball team. The Nats' three-straight wins over Houston seems par for the course until one takes a look at the box scores and realizes that Washington has won each of the three games -- two of which went to extra innings -- by just one run. Even though the Nats are in first place and on a five-game win streak, that's not a good look.
Bryce Harper, who has been struggling since the All-Star break, sits out the series finale. Here's the Nationals' lineup.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 9, 2012
#Nats 8/9 Lineup: Lombo 2B, Bernadina CF, Zimmerman 3B, LaRoche 1B, Morse LF, Werth RF, Espinosa SS, Suzuki C, Zimmermann RHP
With Jayson Werth back on the active roster, the Nationals have the luxury to do things like resting Harper for a day.
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