This afternoon’s game will be the final regular meeting of these two teams as part of their season 4-game series with the Cleveland Indians as Gio Gonzalez and Josh Tomlin will face each other. The Nationals need to win this one to even their season series at 2 wins each.
Gonzalez faced the Indians in July while giving up two runs in 6 1/3 innings of work that day and will face a slightly different line-up today without the designated hitter.
Josh Tomlin leads the Majors in an inauspicious category as he has given up an MLB worst 26 home runs and has a 1.9 HR/9 which could be a good sign for the Nationals line-up today. Tomlin is coming off a 93 pitch outing where he was pulled at 4 1/3 innings. Of special note, right-handed hitters hit Tomlin much better than the lefties by almost 100 points of OPS (.802 RH/.706 LH). Will Dusty Baker change his line-up accordingly?
As Bryce Harper sits another day for his stiff neck, it gives Dusty Baker the opportunity to insert Brian Goodwin into rightfield for his first Major League start. Goodwin was drafted in the 1st round in 2011 as draft compensation from the White Sox when they signed Adam Dunn as a Free Agent. Goodwin had a good year in Triple-A Syracuse where he spent most of the season hovering near a .300 batting average.
Washington Nationals and Cleveland Indians
Stadium: Nats Park, Washington, DC
1st Pitch: 4:05 pm EDT
TV: MASN, Sports Time Ohio, MLB.tv
Line-ups (subject to change without notice):
- Trea Turner 2B
- Jayson Werth LF
- Daniel Murphy 1B
- Wilson Ramos C
- Anthony Rendon 3B
- Brian Goodwin RF
- Danny Espinosa SS
- Ben Revere CF
- Gio Gonzalez LHP
