Adam LaRoche hit his 33rd home run and drove in his 100th run of the season, both career highs, and the Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2, for their 97th win of the season.

Adam LaRoche, shown here earlier this month against Milwaukee, hit his 33rd homer run and drove in his 100th run of the season on Tuesday to lead the Nationals over the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2. Brad Mills-US PRESSWIRE

A night after clinching the first division championship in Washington baseball history, manager Davey Johnson gave most of his starters the night off. Gio Gonzalez was scratched from his pitching assignment so he can be ready for Game 1 of the National League Division Series, with Tom Gorzelanny replacing him. Rookie Sandy Leon got the start at catcher over Kurt Suzuki. Steve Lombardozzi spelled Danny Espinosa at second base. Mark DeRosa replaced Ian Desmond at short. Chad Tracy played third base in place of Ryan Zimmerman. Tyler Moore started for Michael Morse in left field, and Roger Bernadina took Jayson Werth‘s spot in right.

But it was LaRoche, starting at first base, who put the Nats ahead to stay with a sixth-inning homer, a high drive that barely cleared the bullpen fence in right field to break a 1-1 tie. LaRoche set a career high for homers in season and matched his career high for RBIs, set two years ago in Arizona.

The homer keyed a two-run inning. Losing pitcher Josh Lindblom (3-5) went on to walk Tracy and surrender a single to DeRosa before hitting Leon to lead the bases with one out. Suzuki pinch hit, but grounded into a 6-2 force out, before Lombardozzi delivered a base hit to center, scoring DeRosa.

That made a winner of Zach Duke (1-0), who allowed two hits and a walk, but had a strikeout and retired pinch hitter Carlos Ruiz to escape a bases-loaded jam in the sixth. Gorzelanny allowed four hits and one run — the first of two solo homers by Darrin Ruf, in 3 2-3 innings. Christian Garcia and Ryan Mattheus combined for another 2 1-3 innings of scoreless relief. Tyler Clippard surrendered Ruf’s second homer of the night in the eighth to make it a 3-2 game before Drew Storen pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save.

After Ruf’s first homer in the fourth, the Nats tied it at 1 in the bottom of the inning when Bernadina singled with two outs to drive in LaRoche, had led off with a double.

Champ of the Game: LaRoche. This milestone game exemplified his veteran leadership as he showed the kids how it’s done, going 2-for-3 with the key homer and RBI. The solid power numbers put him in the National League MVP conversation, although he may be passed over.

Chump of the Game: Clippard. Ruf has proved to be a dangerous hitter against the Nats this season, but Clip has been unable to get key outs for the past week, no matter whether he’s setting up or closing. You have to wonder whether Johnson will give him more than once chance in the postseason.

Unsung Hero: Garcia has proven to be a real find among the Nats’ September call-ups, allowing just eight hits and two walks in 11 innings. With Johnson’s stated preference for a pitcher-heavy postseason roster, the 27-year-old rookie could find himself pitching in key situations in the playoffs.

Next Game: Oct. 3, 1:05 p.m. vs. Philadelphia at Nationals Park. Cliff Lee (6-8, 3.12) vs. Edwin Jackson (9-11, 4.13).

Ross Detwiler turned in a performance he’d like to forget in Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to Philadelphia: Five runs, all earned, on five hits over five innings. Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Darin Ruf, Carlos Ruiz and Domonic Brown homered to back a solid pitching performance by Cole Hamels as the Phillies remained within five games of the final NL wild card spot while the Nats saw their division lead  shrink to four games over Atlanta, which beat Miami to clinch a playoff spot of its own. The Nats’ magic number for clinching the NL East remains at five, and even if they were to win the remaining two games in Philadelphia, they would have to wait until their next series in St. Louis for a chance to clinch the division.

After Hamels (16-6) limited the Nats to three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and a walk over six innings, the Nats could not solve the Philadelphia bullpen, as five relievers pitched perfect ball the rest of the way.

Ross Detwiler (10-7) took the loss for the Nats with a line full of fives: Five innings, five hits and five runs, all earned. he struck out three and walked three. The heavy damage came in the third, with the score already tied at 1, when the Phillies scored four runs.  As is often the case, walks — to John Mayberry and Chase Utley — got Detwiler in trouble. Ryan Howard followed with a single to score Mayberry, and Ruiz then hit a home run to left, scoring Utley and Howard.

Detwiler was perfect after that, setting down nine straight batters, but the damage was done. The Nats rallied in the fifth when Bryce Harper singled to drive in Kurt Suzuki, who led off with a single, and Ryan Zimmerman singled to score Harper. Adam LaRoche singled to put the tying run on first base, but Michael Morse grounded out to third to end the threat.

Crai g Stammen relieved Detwiler in the sixth and promptly gave up a solo shot to Brown, then walked the bases loaded with one out before striking out Mayberry. Michael Gonzalez induced a ground out from Utley to limit the damage to one run.

The Nats struck first in the second inning, when Danny Espinosa walked with two outs, stole second, and then scored when Kurt Suzuki singled on a hit-and-run. But the Phillies answered in the bottom of the inning with Ruf’s first major league homer — and hit — a towering shot to left field.

Champ of the Game: Suzuki. He has become Mr. clutch for the Nats, with 14 RBIs in September. Unfortunately, the Nats need that kind of production higher in the order.

Chump of the Game: Detwiler. He had only one bad inning, but at this time of year, that’s all it takes to lose a game or even a series. The young left-hander has pitched well in key situations this year, and he’s going to have to step it up for the team to make any kind of deep run.

Next Game: Sept. 26, at Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m. John Lannan (3-0, 4.43) vs. Kyle Kendrick (10-11, 3.89).

Jordan Zimmermann earned his 11th win of the season in the Nationals’ 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, helping the team move within one game of clinching a postseason berth. Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

Bryce Harper tripled and scored, and Danny Espinosa had two hits in his first game back after taking a cortisone shot for a shoulder injury to help the Nats hit the 90-win milestone and move within one game of clinching only the second postseason berth in Montreal Expos/Nationals franchise history and the first for a Washington team in 79 years.

The only postseason appearance for the current franchise came when the team played in Montreal in 1981. The last postseason games played in Washington were in the 1933 World Series.

Zimmermann (11-8) allowed six hits and two walks, striking out four. The only run he allowed came in the third inning, when Hanley Ramirez singled in Andre Ethier, who had singled with one out.

Harper scored the go-ahead run in the fifth, after tripling for his lone hit of a 1-for-4 afternoon. Ryan Zimmerman followed a groundout to bring him home and put the Nats ahead 2-1. Kurt Suzuki drove in the first Nats run in the second with a sacrifice fly off loser Aaron Harang (9-10) to score Michael Morse, who led off with a single.

Ian Desmond scored the third Washington run in the sixth after leading off with a double. After taking third on Kurt Suzuki’s one-out single, he came home on a ground out by pinch-hitter Tyler Moore.

Sean Burnett worked out of a minor jam in the seventh after Morse misplayed Nick Punto‘s leadoff fly ball off Ryan Mattheus into a double. Mattheus left after retiring Mark Ellis on a groudout. Burnett struck out Ethier, but walked Matt Kemp to put men on first and third. But he fanned Adrian Gonzalez to end the inning.

Drew Storen worked the eighth, allowing only Ramirez’ leadoff single, and Tyler Clippard got the final three outs for his 32nd save.

Champ of the Game: Zimmermann, who avoided overthrowing on the extra day’s rest and lowered hsi ERA to 2.96.

Chump of the Game:  Morse stranded four runners and made a fielding miscue that turned out to be harmless. He may still be feeling the effects of a bone bruise in his left wrist that kept him out of the Atlanta series.

Unsung Hero: Suzuki. With two more hits this afternoon, he has six in his last five games and is making the bottom of the order dangerous.

Next Game: September 19, vs. LA Dodgers at Nationals Park (Game 2 of doubleheader). Lannan, (3-0, 2.41) vs. Beckett (1-2, 3.38).