Today is not just any game on the schedule as there could be post-season implications based on which team wins this game today in Nats Park. Rules state that the team with the best regular season record in each league will get home field advantage in the LDS (league divsion series) and the LCS (league championship series); however, if there is a tie for best record than the head-to-head record would determine home field advantage for that particular series. If the Nationals and Giants both finish the 2016 season with 96 wins for example, today’s game would determine the home field advantage.
It is a tall order it would seem on the surface for the Nationals against Madison Bumgarner on the mound for the Giants, but Tanner Roark is more than capable of pitching better than him. If there is any good news, it is the way that the Nationals hit Bumgarner in Nats Park in the past as the Nats slash a very good .292/.333/.496/.829 with a 5.00 ERA and that is not a typo.
Here are the Nats stats against Bumgarner:
Here are Tanner Roark’s stats against the Giants:
Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giant
Stadium: Nats Park, Washington, DC
1st Pitch: 1:35 pm EDT
TV: MASN, WUSA9, TBS, Comcast Bay Area, MLB.tv
Line-ups (subject to change without notice):
- Trea Turner 2B
- Jayson Werth LF
- Daniel Murphy 1B
- Anthony Rendon 3B
- Wilson Ramos C
- Danny Espinosa SS
- Chris Heisey RF
- Ben Revere CF
- Tanner Roark RHP
