Nationals may use John Lannan in playoff series against Braves

If Washington draws the lefty-heavy Braves, the club may add John Lannan to the playoff roster.

By Jack Moore

Oct 3, 2012 at 12:23 pm ET • 1 min read

Nationals starter John Lannan may be added to the club's playoff roster should they find themselves matched up against the lefty-heavy Braves, manager Davey Johnson told Amanda Comak of the Washington Times Wednesday.

Lannan started six games for the Nationals, most coming after Stephen Strasburg was shut down for the season. The 28-year-old had a 4.13 ERA in 32.2 innings, striking out just 17 against 14 walks but not allowing a single home run.

As a lefty, Lannan could have an advantage against the Braves' lefty-heavy lineup, including Michel Bourn, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman and Brian McCann. The Braves have a club OPS of just .688 against left-handers (eighth-worst in MLB) compared to .722 against righties.

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