Photo Credit: Marlene Koenig for TalkNats
A happy Bryce Harper is better than that sad Bryce Harper we saw on Sunday. Things can change quickly in baseball. This new week has set these two teams in different directions. The Pirates have now dropped two-in-a-row and the Nationals finally got a winning streak going and are feeling it.
Much credit has to go to the bench players and the added players from Syracuse who have added youth and energy to this line-up and to the dugout. It takes a team and not just one player as we have seen this season. Sure, great starting pitching is a key for the Nats but they have to score runs which has been difficult at time and that in turn has stretched the bullpen thin as they have to pitch in close games.
Tonight’s game has Stephen Strasburg going as he hopes to right his ship. The Pirates send rightie Ivan Nova to the mound. Expect Nationals’ manager Dave Martinez to write up a line-up that looks similar to last night with Bryce Harper leading-off.
Righties hit Nova slightly better for power and for batting average it is almost identical for all batters. Nova on the road is slightly worse than pitching at home which is expected.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Washington Nationals
Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
1st Pitch: 7:05 pm EDT
TV: MASN; MLB App out-of-market
Nats Radio: 106.7 The Fan and via the MLB app
Line-ups subject to change without notice:
- Bryce Harper RF
- Trea Turner SS
- Matt Adams 1B
- Howie Kendrick 2B
- Michael Taylor CF
- Andrew Stevenson LF
- Pedro Severino C
- Stephen Strasburg P
- Wilmer Difo 3B
