Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats
Is this the last time Washington Nationals fans will see Bryce Harper, “The Chosen One”, in his home white uniform? Will Mother Nature even cooperate to get this game in? Then there is the question of what has happened to Tanner Roark? The Nationals are starting rookie Kyle McGowin today and the team has skipped Roark twice now in the rotation. With expanded rosters, Roark has been away from the team twice. His son, Eli, was born 10-days ago, and Roark was back in Atlanta for a few days for his birth. The Nationals skipped his start, and rescheduled him to pitch today. Roark reportedly headed back to Atlanta a few days ago and has not returned to the team adding that extra layer of mystery to the situation. First and foremost we hope everything is fine with his family.
If the game gets played today, expect a tribute to Bryce Harper each time he steps up to the plate. With Harper granting interviews now to discuss his future, he has made it clear he would like to stay -if- he is in the Nationals plans. He has said that several times now. Of course he is in the Nationals plans, but that plan includes fiscal responsibility, and Harper is going to want to get near 1/3 of a billion dollars if not more. Clearly nothing will be resolved with Harper staying until probably when the weather is very cold in Washington, D.C. so be prepared for the Boras P.R. machine to kick into high gear, and you will hear a lot about Bryce’s value to a team and maybe some Playoffville references.
The Marlins are starting their Boras client today, Wei Yin Chen, who is a lefty. Expect Nationals manager Dave Martinez to counter with a more right-handed lineup.
Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals
Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
1st Pitch: 4:05 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:
