On Monday, the Nationals could still bask in the thrilling finish to their season, the culmination of a remarkable stretch of baseball. Jordan Zimmermann’s no-hitter in Game 162 came in the same week that Gio Gonzalez allowed one hit, Stephen Strasburg allowed two hits and Doug Fister allowed three hits. “It was going to be zero or five, I guess,” said Zimmermann, who was named NL player of the week on Monday. “I’ll go with zero.”

In their final trip through the rotation, the Nationals’ four projected playoff starters allowed zero runs in 31 innings with 38 strikeouts, six hits and four walks. The least dominant outing probably belonged to Strasburg, who struck out seven and allowed two hits in six innings. Add in Tanner Roark, and since Sept. 13 the Nationals’ regular starting rotation went 13-0 with a 0.88 ERA. Come. On.

The incredible run of pitching allowed the Nationals to run away with the division and become the hottest team in baseball heading into October. They won the National League East by 17 games, the largest margin of victory by any division winner since 2008. They are 21-9 in their past 30 games, the best record in the majors over that span. And they finished it off with a no-hitter.

“That’s a great shot in the arm right there,” Nationals utility man Kevin Frandsen said. “You don’t hang your hat on anything, because the postseason is a new beast. You can at least roll with some momentum we created. We created the situation by continuing to play hard, continuing to do the things that we do. We play for each other.”

Having gathered momentum, the Nationals now must wait. In the four days between Friday’s Game 1 of the NLDS, the Nationals will finalize their 25-man postseason roster. There will be difficult choices and difficult conversations.

The deadline for the Nationals to turn in their NLDS roster is Friday at 10 a.m. With an understanding that some final choices may depend on whether the Nationals play the Giants or Pirates, here’s our projection of what it will look like.

ROTATION

1. Stephen Strasburg

2. Jordan Zimmermann

3. Doug Fister

4. Gio Gonzalez

The Nationals have made no announcement, but they have lined up Strasburg to start Game 1 on five days of rest. Because Strasburg went 4-1 with a 1.13 ERA in his last six regular season starts, that seems like the right decision. Zimmermann rivals Zack Greinke for the designation as best second starter in the majors. Nobody would complain if Fister, who led the Nationals with a 2.41 ERA and finished the year with a shutout, started Game 1.

Gonzalez over Roark is the only real decision. But Gonzalez has rounded into form late in the season, and his track record makes him the pick. Roark has experience out of the bullpen, and his versatility and moxie make him an ideal pitcher to turn to if a starter finds early trouble.

BULLPEN

1. Drew Storen

2. Tyler Clippard

3. Matt Thornton

4. Ross Detwiler

5. Craig Stammen

6. Tanner Roark

7. Jerry Blevins

8. Aaron Barrett

In an earlier guess, I picked Rafael Soriano over Blevins. Soriano has simply not inspired enough trust as he has worked in low-leverage situations to find his mechanics over the past two weeks. Even some of his scoreless innings included a barrage of line drives and deep flyballs.

Blevins, meanwhile, has made five straight scoreless appearances and struck out 11 of 18 hitters he’s faced. For the season, left-handers have hit .160 against him.

The Nationals could choose seven relievers and take an extra position player, especially if they determine Ryan Zimmerman’s hamstring will allow him to only pinch-hit with reliability. But they could use the extra lefty, especially if they face the Giants, who were a game under .500 this season against left-handed starters. It would be a harder choice against the Pirates, who platoon a ton and feature Josh Harrison, Neil Walker, Andrew McCutchen and Russell Martin – all right-handers or switch-hitters – as their best hitters.

LINEUP

1. Wilson Ramos

2. Adam LaRoche

3. Asdrubal Cabrera

4. Anthony Rendon

5. Ian Desmond

6. Bryce Harper

7. Denard Span

8. Jayson Werth

If the Nationals make the NL Championship Series, Zimmerman may join the starting lineup, his hamstring closer to 100 percent and his swing more finely tuned. For this round, it seems most likely he will serve as a pinch hitter and possibly start against tough left-handed starting pitchers. For now, the Nationals will probably roll with the lineup that helped them dominate in the final two months.

BENCH

1. Ryan Zimmerman

2. Jose Lobaton

3. Kevin Frandsen

4. Danny Espinosa

5. Nate Schierholtz

The last bench spot is a tough choice and will lead to a difficult conversation for Manager Matt Williams no matter what. A key reserve from a close-knit, 96-win team will be left off the roster. The guess now is Scott Hairston, who since the all-star break is 5 for 36 with 18 strikeouts and no home runs.

Hairston’s presence could help neutralize San Francisco’s lefty duo of Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez or Pittsburgh’s Tony Watson and Justin Wilson. But he has not hit for power enough this season to give him a spot over Kevin Frandsen, who aside from Zimmerman would be the Nationals’ best off-the-bench option if they needed a base runner.

It would be brutal for Williams and the Nationals to leave off Hairston, who would be making his first playoff appearance of an 11-year career. He’s a well-liked teammate and a leader for younger players in a bench role. But he could be the odd man out, at least for this round. If the Nationals advance, they can make changes to their roster before the next round.