So for the first time in a while, the Nationals did not mount a late rally Tuesday night. As such, they dropped their series opener to the Red Sox, 5-4, that score holding up from the fourth inning all the way through the ninth. They’ll look to bounce back tonight, whether taking and holding an early lead or rallying again, in the middle game of the interleague series.
After watching Josiah Gray record only nine outs Tuesday, Davey Martinez needed to use five relievers for six innings to finish out the game. So some length from MacKenzie Gore tonight would be very welcome if the left-hander can provide it. Like Gray, Gore has dealt with some high pitch counts and early exits. He’s also surrendered home runs, three of them in his last start against the Phillies.
The Red Sox also send a lefty to the mound in James Paxton, the veteran who hasn’t pitched much since 2019 due to injuries. Paxton has been good since returning healthy this season, though, with a 3.36 ERA in 15 starts. He just tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Royals last week.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. BOSTON RED SOX
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 4 mph out to right field
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
DH Joey Meneses
C Keibert Ruiz
LF Stone Garrett
1B Dominic Smith
3B Ildemaro Vargas
2B Michael Chavis
CF Alex Call
LHP MacKenzie Gore
RED SOX
LF Rob Refsnyder
DH Justin Turner
3B Rafael Devers
SS Trevor Story
CF Adam Duvall
RF Alex Verdugo
2B Pablo Reyes
1B Triston Casas
C Connor Wong
LHP James Paxton