Game 22: Giants at Nats

The Nationals will again use an opener in front of Miles Mikolas as they try to avoid getting swept by San Francisco

It’s a new day at Nationals Park – albeit a rainy day, but it looks like it should clear out before first pitch – and though they certainly rehashed Saturday’s agonizing, 12-inning loss in full this morning, the Nats have no choice but to move on and try to win today’s series finale against the Giants and avoid a sweep.

With that goal in mind, Blake Butera is once again pulling out all the stops with an unconventional pitching plan for this game. PJ Poulin will open, the third time the Nationals have put the left-handed reliever on the mound in the first inning, the second time they’ve done it in front of right-handed starter Miles Mikolas. That appears to be the plan again today, and just as they did last time in Pittsburgh, they’ll have the ability to bring in a left-handed long reliever behind Mikolas, with Andrew Alvarez recalled from Triple-A Rochester in place of the demoted Paxton Schultz. In a nutshell, they’re doing everything they can to minimize the amount of time Mikolas is on the mound (short of releasing him).

Offensively, the Nats will hope to continue to produce as they’ve been doing for the better part of three weeks, while simultaneously executing better fundamentals on the bases and in clutch situations. They’re going up against a tough left-hander today in the Giants’ Robbie Ray. They can’t afford to squander whatever scoring opportunities they get.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: Nationals TV (channel listings)
Radio: 106.7 FM
Weather: Rain ending, 51 degrees, wind 10 mph left to right

GIANTS
SS Willy Adames
2B Luis Arraez
3B Matt Chapman
DH Rafael Devers
1B Casey Schmitt
RF Jung Hoo Lee
LF Heliot Ramos
CF Drew Gilbert
C Patrick Bailey

LHP Robbie Ray

NATIONALS
LF James Wood
1B Curtis Mead
3B Brady House
SS CJ Abrams
CF Jacob Young
RF Joey Wiemer
DH Luis García Jr.
2B Nasim Nuñez
C Keibert Ruiz

LHP PJ Poulin

ALVAREZ BECOMES FIFTH LEFTY IN BULLPEN
The Nationals didn’t intend all along to call up Andrew Alvarez today, nor did they intend to carry yet another long reliever, nor an unprecedented fifth left-hander in their bullpen. As manager Blake Butera explained, the move was a reaction to Saturday’s marathon and the fact the team has only just passed the halfway mark of a stretch of 17 consecutive scheduled game days.

“If yesterday’s game didn’t go 12 innings, we would not have felt that way,” Butera said. “But when you play 12 … we needed some help. And also we’re in the middle of 17 in a row. We’re bringing Alvy in here to hopefully give some of our bullpen a rest for a day and reset it a little bit. That’s just the thought process there. This wasn’t anything we planned or predetermined.”

Alvarez has made four starts so far for Rochester, going 2-0 with a 4.66 ERA that was inflated by a rough season debut in Jacksonville. The 26-year-old’s more-significant stat: he has struck out 27 batters in 19 1/3 innings, a dramatic increase from his career rate of 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

“My ‘kill percentage’ has been high, so I’m just trying to get ahead of guys and trying to put them away. That’s helped a lot,” he said. “Still, obviously not where I want to be, and trying to sharpen some things up, certain pitches I’ve gotten beat on, which is part of the game. But it’s been good after the first one to bounce back. To see some success, it’s been great.”

Because his last start – 86 pitches over 5 1/3 innings – came five days ago, Alvarez is fully rested and available for long relief today. It remains to be seen if he stays with the Nationals beyond today or is sent back to Triple-A to continue working as a starter. With Mitchell Parker and Brad Lord also on the staff as long relievers, there may not be a need for Alvarez to remain in this role.

“I’m fully anticipating that if they need me, I’ll be ready,” he said. “However many they need: 100 pitches or 10.”