Yesterday’s game was rained-out and today’s line-up looks very different. Bryce Harper was getting a day-off yesterday and Adam Lind was set to play leftfield and Stephen Drew at shortstop, and Tanner Roark was set to pitch. This line-up for the Nationals has Gio Gonzalez going as was scheduled for today, and the Nationals will get Tanner Roark some extra rest, and we will see if Roark pitches Sunday or after the All-Star break as Sunday’s starter will either be Roark or Joe Ross.
This 4-game set against the Atlanta Braves is the last series before the All-Sar break. The Braves are in 2nd place in the NL East trailing the Washington Nationals. You will see a new-look Braves line-up also as Freddie Freeman is playing 3rd base against right-handed pitching however Freeman will be at 1st base against the lefty Gonzalez tonight with Matt Adams on the bench.
The Braves will start the right-handed Mike Foltynewicz who the Nationals have faced many times. The Braves are coming off a two-game series in Atlanta where they were just swept by the Houston Astros as the Braves enter the toughest part of their schedule with this Nats series then the Diamondbacks, followed by the Cubs, Dodgers and Diamondbacks again.
It is still possible for Gio Gonzalez to make a case for himself to make the All-Star game as pitchers drop-out. Clayton Kershaw is already going to be ineligible to pitch if he indeed pitches on Sunday.
The Esurance Final Vote for the last All-Star spots ends today, and Anthony Rendon still has a chance to make the All-Star game though his odds look long at this point. At the last tally Rendon was in 3rd place behind Justin Turner and Kris Bryant for the final spot. As Daniel Murphy has said, “Have you seen Fangraphs” where Rendon is the 5th rated position player in all of baseball at an fWAR of 3.3.
Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals
Stadium: Nationals Park,1500 S Capitol St. SE, Washington, DC 20003
1st Pitch: 7:05 pm EDT
TV: MASN, FOX Sports SE, MLB.TV
Nats Radio: 106.7 FM The Fan; SiriusXM® XM 183 Sirius 216 (Internet 869)
Line-ups (subject to change without notice):
- Brian Goodwin LF
- Michael Taylor CF
- Bryce Harper RF
- Ryan Zimmerman 1B
- Daniel Murphy 2B
- Anthony Rendon 3B
- Matt Wieters C
- Wilmer Difo SS
- Gio Gonzalez LHP
