PITTSBURGH – And we’re back. After Friday’s rainout – FYI, it didn’t even start raining until about 9 p.m. – the Nationals and Pirates reconvene for what’s going to be a very long Saturday afternoon and evening. It’s a day-night doubleheader, the first game starting at 1:35 p.m., the nightcap starting at 6:40 p.m. as initially planned.
Both of Friday night’s scheduled starters will be on the mound for today’s opener. So it’s DJ Herz, again looking not only to get his outing off to a good start but also to have a strong finish, pitching for the Nats. The rookie left-hander might need to be pushed a bit harder in this one, because Davey Martinez has to make sure he’s still got enough relievers available for the nightcap.
(For what it’s worth, the teams don’t get to call up an extra player for the doubleheader, because rosters are already expanded for September. So it’s a 14-man pitching staff, no changes.)
At the plate, the Nationals will try to get something going against right-hander Luis Ortiz, who didn’t give up a run in either of his previous two outings. Martinez was hopeful Friday night that the return of CJ Abrams to the top of the lineup would help jump-start the offense, believing Abrams could fare well against Ortiz’s fastball. We’ll see how that goes.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Where: PNC Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 65 degrees, wind 10 mph out to center field
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
DH Andrés Chaparro
2B Luis García Jr.
C Keibert Ruiz
3B José Tena
RF Dylan Crews
1B Joey Gallo
CF Jacob Young
LHP DJ Herz
PIRATES
SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa
LF Bryan Reynolds
C Joey Bart
DH Andrew McCutchen
RF Oneil Cruz
2B Nick Gonzales
1B Connor Joe
RF Bryan De La Cruz
3B Jared Triolo
RHP Luis Ortiz