This weekend series in the desert continues for the Washington Nationals as the newly crowned NL Pitcher of the Month pitches for the Washington Nationals tonight against the Diamondbacks. For Stephen Strasburg, he gets to take the mound in Max Scherzer‘s absence as the ace of this staff, and Stras had a July to remember with his ERA of 1.14 over 31 2/3 innings plus he had three RISP hits, 6 RBIs, and a .571 slugging % in July. The Diamondbacks will pitch the lefty ex-Nats farmhand Robbie Ray who is now the their ace after his team traded Zack Greinke this week.
Entering this game, the Nationals are dealing with two significant health issues involving the legs of Howie Kendrick and the newly acquired reliever Roenis Elias. The team has initially called the issues leg cramps, and we will see today if there is any change in the diagnosis today.
The Nationals have faced their former farmhand, Robbie Ray, a few times before. Anthony Rendon has hit Ray well, and manager Dave Martinez is not starting Howie Kendrick as we wait on his status and instead the Nats will give first base to the former D’Back Gerardo Parra who has hit Ray well with a .364 BA and a home run.
Washington Nationals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Stadium: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
1st Pitch: 8:10 pm EDT
TV: MASN2, FOX Sports Arizona, MLB.TV
Nats Radio: 106.7 FM The Fan; SiriusXM® ( Streaming Internet 869)
Line-up subject to change (without notice):
