Don’t expect the Nationals to pour champagne if they win today and clinch home field advantage for the NLDS. Tanner Roark needs to finish the regular season with a strong outing, and the Nationals could use a win today to relax tomorrow for the final game of the regular season.
The Marlins starter is lefty Wei-Yin Chen which could give Dusty the opportunity to go with a righty line-up.
The Nationals have now lost seven of their last twelve games. The team you might have expected to be flat last night would have been the Marlins, but instead it was the Nationals. The Nationals had two errors in the game, and a costly passed ball, and the energy level just has not been at a high enough level as a constant. Add to that the season ending injury to Wilson Ramos, the uncertainty with Stephen Strasburg, the inconsistencies in the back of the Nationals’ rotation, and players slumping at the wrong time like Danny Espinosa, and the Nats will need to figure it out quickly as the NLDS starts in six days.
Bryce Harper returned last night and was rusty. Daniel Murphy continues to sit out as he tries to get his hamstring and gluteal muscle 100%. Dusty Baker said in the pre-game that Ryan Zimmerman is banged up, and last night Jayson Werth left the game with back tightness.
“[It was] more precautionary than anything else,” Jayson Werth said as he took himself out of last night’s game early with back tightness. “If I’m not in there tomorrow, I’d be surprised. It’s possible it could still be tight tomorrow, but I don’t think we’re dealing with anything that’s anything other than tightness in there. I didn’t strain anything. I didn’t pull anything. When I came in, we did a bunch of tests, most of the tests with the training staff. And we ruled out any strains or pulls or anything like that. It’s more of a tightness thing.”
Trea Turner moves into sole possession of 8th place for the season in stolen bases:
Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins
Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
1st Pitch: 4:05 pm EDT
TV: MASN2, Fox Sports Florida, MLB.TV
Line-ups (subject to change without notice):
- Trea Turner CF
- Michael Taylor LF
- Bryce Harper RF
- Anthony Rendon 3B
- Ryan Zimmerman 1B
- Wilmer Difo 2B
- Danny Espinosa SS
- Pedro Severino C
- Tanner Roark RHP
