WASHINGTON -- Now that a playoff berth has been secured, the Nationals will walk a delicate line until the end of the regular season. Just to get to this point required a mad dash to overcome a sluggish start -- the Nationals’ starting pitchers routinely carried a heavy workload, and more than a few position players went months without a day off.\n\nSo, Washington will be looking to give some of its regulars a breather with the reality that home-field advantage in the National League Wild Card game is still up for grabs. That puts the pressure on the Nats to win as often as possible to ensure that winner-take-all game is played at Nationals Park on Tuesday night.\n\n“I still want to play these games to win,” manager Dave Martinez said prior to the Nats’ 5-2 victory over the Phillies on Wednesday night at Nationals Park. “But we’ve got to be smart about getting guys some days off.”\n\n• [Box score](https://www.mlb.com/gameday/565971/final/box)\n\nFor the first time since the middle of May, when they both spent time on the injured list,
Although the red-hot Brewers appear to be the Nationals’ most likely opponent for the Wild Card game, they still remain alive in the NL Central, trailing the Cardinals by 1 1/2 games. But take the advice from one Nats player who experienced playing at Miller Park in the postseason last October, the Nationals would prefer to avoid playing a road game with their season on the line.\n\n“It's the most electric stadium I've ever been a part of my whole career,” said second baseman
“For the situation of the team right now, it's not hard,” Sánchez said of coming back with a win after clinching. “I think everybody needed to keep focus on the game. We made the Wild Card game, but at the end, we want to play here, too. We need to keep focus and win some games.”\n\nSeveral times during the past few months, Martinez would say he asked Turner and Rendon whether they need a breather and both players were adamant they wanted to play. And it’s not as if their production suffered, Rendon entered himself into the MVP race with his play in the second half, and Turner has been excellent at the top of the lineup, including big hits like his go-ahead grand slam to help the Nats clinch Tuesday. \n\nBut Martinez joked that he did not receive much pushback Wednesday. More players will likely get days off in the next few days, especially