Game 69: Nats at Giants
CJ Abrams gets a rare day off as the Nationals go for the sweep in San Francisco and maintain their position in the NL wild-card standings
SAN FRANCISCO – We have reached the conclusion of the first West Coast trip of the season, and what a long, strange trip it’s been for the Nationals, who today have a chance to sweep the Giants, move to three games over the .500 mark and maintain their wild-card position in the NL standings. (How’s that for a sentence nobody could’ve predicted at the start of the season?)
It’s a matchup of left-handers in today’s finale at Oracle Park, with Foster Griffin on the mound against veteran Robbie Ray, a long-ago Nats prospect whose career has gone through plenty of twists and turns.
Griffin looks to earn his team-leading eighth win, a mark only four other NL pitchers have reached so far this year. He did not face the Giants earlier this season in D.C., so they won’t have any familiarity with him. He’s also coming off an abbreviated, five-inning start in Arizona in which he only threw 62 pitches before getting pulled with his back tightening up and his team leading by a bunch of runs.
Blake Butera is prioritizing right-handed hitters against Ray, and that even includes at the shortstop position. CJ Abrams gets only his second day off of the season, a well-deserved one at that and a chance for him to get 48 hours of rest before taking the field again Friday night against the Mariners. Though as we always have to be aware of with this team, Butera could very well decide to use Abrams off the bench at some point during today’s game if the situation calls for it.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: Oracle Park
Gametime: 3:45 p.m. EDT
TV: Nationals TV (channel listings)
Radio: 106.7 FM
Weather: Sunny, 77 degrees, wind 12 mph out to center
NATIONALS
DH James Wood
3B Curtis Mead
1B Andrés Chaparro
RF Dylan Crews
LF Daylen Lile
CF Jacob Young
SS Nasim Nuñez
2B Jorbit Vivas
C Keibert Ruiz
LHP Foster Griffin
GIANTS
SS Casey Schmitt
2B Luis Arraez
3B Matt Chapman
1B Rafael Devers
RF Jung Hoo Lee
DH Bryce Eldridge
C Daniel Susac
LF Victor Bericoto
CF Jonah Cox
LHP Robbie Ray
Way back in 2016 or 2017, somebody asked Dusty Baker about somebody's exit velocity. Dusty, as only he could, responded that "I don't care about exit velocity. I want exit hits!" Well, the Nats just had four vintage "exit hits" during a four-run rally in the sixth, a bunch of well-placed, softly-hit singles. And they'll happily take them. Jorbit Vivas, by the way, is now 3-for-3 with RISP on this trip after beginning the season 0-for-25.
James Wood. 2-run opposite-field homer off a lefty. Nats lead 2-0. Ho hum.