ARLINGTON, Texas -- American League All-Star manager Ron Washington said he doesn't plan on playing his starters longer or managing the game like it's a win-at-all-costs event from the opening pitch. He will try to use his entire roster and hope that he can get a lead late and do what he has to do to keep it.

"It's the All-Star Game, and I want to play everybody like I did last year," Washington said. "They're All-Stars, I should be able to win with all of them. I should have more of them available. But my thing is they're in the All-Star Game and I certainly want to get everyone that's in that All-Star Game in the game."

But Washington will do what's necessary in the late innings to see if he can get his team a victory.

"If we get into the seventh and eighth inning with a lead, I'm going to try to win," Washington said. "But for the first five or six innings, let them play."

Washington's club was directly impacted by the AL losses the past two years as the Texas Rangers didn't have homefield advantage in the World Series in 2010 and '11. Does Washington think the outcome of last year's Fall Classic would have been different if the Rangers were at home for Games 6 and 7?

"No, Game 6 and 7 would have turned out differently if we had made some pitches," Washington said. "Being in St. Louis didn't have anything to do with having homefield advantage or not. We kicked ass in St Louis just like we kicked ass in Texas.