Game 44: Nats at Reds

The Nationals have a chance to reach the .500 mark today if Foster Griffin and Co. can sweep the series in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI – I feel like I’ve typed this sentence more than a few times in recent years, but here we are again: The Nationals have a chance today to reach the .500 mark. It feels like every time they’ve been in this position, they’ve come up short. And perhaps they will again today. But if they can pull off the sweep against the Reds, they’ll head home at 22-22, no small achievement for an organization that simply hasn’t been able to get over that hump (aside from the 3-1 start early this season) in quite some time.

The Nats do have their most-reliable starter on the mound in Foster Griffin, and they’re going to need some length from him today after asking their bullpen to total 12 2/3 innings the last two nights. Griffin has been brilliant his last three starts, allowing one earned run (plus four unearned) over 20 innings. He’s completed at least six innings in each of his last four starts, and has gone seven innings twice in that span.

The Reds have a reliable starter of their own on the mound in Chase Burns, who enters with the same 4-1 record and nearly identical ERA (2.11 vs. 2.12) as Griffin. The flame-throwing right-hander (average fastball velocity: 98.1 mph) struck out 10 in a 5 2/3-inning start last summer in D.C. but gave up six runs, the Nationals getting progressively more productive as that game progressed.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CINCINNATI REDS
Where: Great American Ball Park
Gametime: 12:40 p.m. EDT
TV: Nationals TV (channel listings)
Radio: 106.7 FM
Weather: Sunny, 59 degrees, wind 11 mph out to right

NATIONALS
RF James Wood
1B Luis García Jr.
3B Brady House
SS CJ Abrams
CF Jacob Young
LF Daylen Lile
2B Nasim Nuñez
DH Jorbit Vivas
C Drew Millas

LHP Foster Griffin

REDS
CF Dane Myers
SS Elly De La Cruz
1B Sal Stewart
LF Spencer Steer
DH JJ Bleday
RF Blake Dunn
2B Matt McLain
C Jose Trevino
3B Ke’Bryan Hayes

RHP Chase Burns