Outfielder Michael Taylor, who had been battling a thumb injury recently, and rookie infielder Wilmer Difo will join Stephen Drew, Clint Robinson, Chris Heisey and the other half of the Jose Lobaton /Pedro Severino catching platoon to make up the Nationals' bench. Hard-throwing rookie right-hander Reynaldo Lopez will be the Nationals' long reliever to provide insurance with question marks surrounding left-hander Gio Gonzalez, who will start Game 3, and potential Game 4 starter right-hander Joe Ross.
That meant the Nationals chose to leave off a few veterans who had been with the team since Opening Day, including outfielder Ben Revere and right-handers Matt Belisle and Yusmeiro Petit.