Austin Voth sign; Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
The Nats pitched Austin Voth in the first game of today’s doubleheader against Aaron Nola. With the Nats as deep underdogs, it was Voth who threw the complete game gem in the abbreviated 7.0 inning game in which the Nats went wire to wire with a 5-1 victory.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Nats will start Paolo Espino who was called up yesterday. Espino has MLB experience, but since it did not go well for him, the Espino timeline for his career was limited to just 2017 for both the Brewers and the Rangers. When the Brewers cut him loose after the 2018 season, Espino signed as a minor league free agent with the Nationals before the 2019 season, and the 33-year-old now gets to showcase his stuff in the final week of the season.
For manager Dave Martinez‘s lineup, he has inserted Eric Thames back into a start at first base and Brock Holt will shift to third base after manning the other corner in the first game.
The Nats are winning with replacement players, and those players are taking advantage of the situation. Many people say it isn’t how you start but how you end and that was how Starlin Castro got paid last year in free agency. Yadiel Hernandez will start in this game as the designated hitter.
Maybe the biggest news in this lineup is that Juan Soto will play in rightfield. Interesting when you think what that could mean for next year possibly if the team goes in that direction.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals
Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
1st Pitch: 6:00 pm EDT
TV: MASN2; NBCSP; MLB Network (out-of-market): MLB App out-of-market
Nats Radio: 106.7 The Fan and via the MLB app
Line-ups subject to change without notice:
Game 2 lineup with Thames back in:
1 Stevenson (L) – LF
2 Turner – SS
3 Soto (L) – RF
4 Suzuki – C
5 Holt (L) – 3B
6 Garcia (L) – 2B
7 Thames (L) – 1B
8 Hernandez (L) – DH
9 Taylor – CFPaolo Espino – RHP
— Talk Nats ⚾ (@TalkNats2) September 22, 2020
