With the season coming to an end for the Nationals, they still have a chance to finish the season on a high note and a winning record. One of the biggest stories in baseball is the future stars of the game which includes Juan Soto and Ronald Acuña Jr. who are competing for the NL Rookie of the Year award. Today is another day where the competing dynamic duo show the baseball world what they have. On Friday, Soto showed his great oppo power, and yesterday Soto put on show with his speed. He stole 3 bases in the game and set another record besting the great speedster Rickey Henderson as the youngest to that feat.
The Washington Nationals are at 75-74 on the season with a “tragic” number of 6, and the team will once again send Tanner Roark to the mound with the hopes that he can get the Nats a series win in this weekend. Roark, who now makes his permanent home in Atlanta, needs to show his new neighbors that the Nationals are still a good team. Unfortunately for Roark, he leads the NL with 15 losses and if he loses today he would tie James Shields for a share of the MLB lead in that inauspicious stat. Roark’s 4.37 ERA will put him in a spot that if the Nationals need payroll relief that his tenure could come to an end with the Nats making this one of the last starts for Roark in a Nationals uniform. Roark the last two years has averaged nearly a 4.50 ERA, and what looked like an outlier season last year now looks like a downward trend.
For today’s game, the Braves send their inconsistent lefty Sean Newcomb to the mound. He was great in his last start, but he has struggled with the workload this year. It probably did not help that he went for a failed no-hitter and threw 134 pitches, but the Braves gave him several days of extra rest afterwards. For a pitcher who had never gone past 111 pitches in a game, that will take its toll on the human arm.
Once again we get a glimpse into the future with a line-up that includes Victor Robles and Juan Soto and with a tease — Bryce Harper is part of this exciting trio for now.
Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats
Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves
Stadium: SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Georgia
1st Pitch: 1:35 pm EDT
TV: MASN2; MLB App out-of-market
Nats Radio: 106.7 The Fan and via the MLB app
Line-ups subject to change without notice:
- Victor Robles CF
- Trea Turner SS
- Bryce Harper RF
- Anthony Rendon 3B
- Juan Soto LF
- Ryan Zimmerman 1B
- Matt Wieters C
- Adrian Sanchez 2B
- Tannerr Roark RHP
