Game 80: Phillies at Nats
PJ Poulin will open for Zack Littell as the Nationals try to win two in a row over Philadelphia
Monday’s series opener went about as well as the Nationals could hope, with Foster Griffin reaching the eighth inning, Luis Garcia Jr. and Curtis Mead homering and the back of the bullpen avoiding any drama before closing out a 4-1 victory over the Phillies. Now they look to make it two in a row and seize control of this four-game series.
We saw how effective left-handers were against the Philadelphia lineup Monday night, so Blake Butera is going to play that card as much as possible tonight. That means PJ Poulin will open and face Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper before handing the ball over to Zack Littell. We’ll then see how far Butera is willing to push Littell before going to the rest of the bullpen. The best thing Littell can do to help his cause: Keep. The. Ball. In. The. Yard.
The Phillies have their own lefty on the mound to start tonight’s game in Jesús Luzardo. The Nats have seen plenty of him through the years, though this is their first head-to-head matchup this season. Butera is going with his right-handed bats at the top, and tonight that includes Curtis Mead at first base with Andrés Chaparro serving as DH. Daylen Lile, meanwhile, gets a rare day off after starting 57 games in a row dating back to April 19.
The forecast looks a whole lot better tonight, with the rain already having cleared out and cooler temperatures settling in for the rest of the evening. Should be a lovely night at the ballpark!
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: Nationals TV (channel listings)
Radio: 106.7 FM
Weather: Rain clearing, 71 degrees, 10 mph in from left
PHILLIES
SS Trea Turner
DH Kyle Schwarber
1B Bryce Harper
LF Brandon Marsh
3B Alec Bohm
2B Bryson Stott
C JT Realmuto
RF Gabriel Rincones Jr.
CF Justin Crawford
LHP Jesús Luzardo
NATIONALS
RF James Wood
1B Curtis Mead
DH Andrés Chaparro
SS CJ Abrams
LF Dylan Crews
CF Jacob Young
3B Jorbit Vivas
2B Nasim Nuñez
C Keibert Ruiz
LHP PJ Poulin
And PJ Poulin retires the side on 8 pitches. He's now got a 2.06 ERA in 10 opener assignments. Will probably get another one tomorrow.
We're underway on a refreshingly breezy, 74-degree Tuesday evening in D.C. And there are late lineup changes for both teams. CJ Abrams was scratched with left side tightness, which bumps Jose Tena into the lineup. Kyle Schwarber was scratched from the Phillies lineup with lower back tightness.