Game 98: Nats at A's
The Nationals make their first (and probably only) trip to Sacramento, with Cade Cavalli on the mound and Harry Ford behind the plate
For the first time ever, the Nationals are in Sacramento tonight. And given MLB’s alternating-years interleague travel schedule, this should be the only time they ever play in Sacramento, because come 2028 the Athletics are expected to call Las Vegas home at last. (By the way, they insist on being referred to only as the Athletics or the A’s while playing in this temporary location for three seasons. God forbid we acknowledge the city’s name!)
After a four-day break that might have been needed mentally more than physically, the Nats open the second half of the season with back-to-back, late-night games in Northern California. And they’ve got a brand-new face behind the plate this evening.
Harry Ford has officially been called up from Triple-A Rochester, and he gets the nod as the starting catcher for the series opener over Keibert Ruiz. Ford, who started the season slowly but has steadily improved each month, will be facing A’s left-hander Gage Jump, potentially an advantageous matchup for the right-handed hitter. Blake Butera, in fact, has loaded up with righties in his lineup, including the struggling Andrés Chaparro as No. 3 hitter (look for Luis García Jr. to replace him once the A’s go to the bullpen) and Jacob Young as No. 8 hitter (healthy again after missing several games with a sore left hand).
Ford will be catching Cade Cavalli, who gets the honor of starting both the first-half finale and second-half opener, looking to build off a strong outing against the Yankees on Sunday. And the beleaguered Nationals bullpen has another new face tonight: right-hander Max Kranick, who was signed a couple months ago but was still recovering from an elbow injury. It will be very interesting to see how high-leverage of a spot Butera entrusts to Kranick in his debut.
Unfortunately, I didn’t make the trip to Sacramento for this series, as much as I would’ve liked to cross that ballpark off my list. But I’ll be staying up late to watch from home and will have an Instant Analysis piece published after the game ends. And I’ll be joining the team Monday in Colorado for the second half of the trip.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at (DON’T CALL THEM SACRAMENTO) ATHLETICS
Where: Sutter Health Park
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: Nationals TV (channel listings)
Radio: 106.7 FM
Weather: Partly cloudy, 86 degrees, wind 11 mph out to center
NATIONALS
DH James Wood
3B Curtis Mead
1B Andrés Chaparro
SS CJ Abrams
RF Dylan Crews
C Harry Ford
LF Daylen Lile
CF Jacob Young
2B Nasim Nuñez
RHP Cade Cavalli
ATHLETICS
DH Carlos Cortes
SS Jacob Wilson
LF Tyler Soderstrom
C Shea Langeliers
3B Joshua Kuroda-Grauer
RF Lawrence Butler
2B Donovan Walton
CF Henry Bolte
1B Tommy White
LHP Gage Jump