Game 147 lineups: Nats at Pirates

PITTSBURGH – The Nationals have a chance to split this four-game series with the Pirates in this afternoon’s finale.

After Patrick Corbin pitched 6 ⅔ strong innings on Monday en route to victory, Joan Adon and Jackson Rutledge combined to pitch 7 ⅔ innings over the last two games, both losses.

So the Nats will turn to Josiah Gray to provide some length on the mound. The right-hander will make his first start in 11 days after the team gave him extra rest to reset after a tough stretch. In his last start on Sept. 3, Gray gave up three runs while throwing 86 pitches in just four innings against the Marlins. That was the latest in a stretch since the beginning of August in which he has pitched to an 8.49 ERA over his last six starts.

We’ll see how he does this afternoon against the Pirates, who he held to one run over six innings with six strikeouts back in April.

Mitch Keller is the first Pirates starter this week that we knew was scheduled to start beforehand, instead of finding out only a couple of hours before first pitch like the previous three games. The right-hander is 11-9 with a 4.23 ERA and 1.282 WHIP in 29 starts. He was one of two Pirates representatives in the All-Star Game, making this a pitching matchup of All-Stars.

Keller did not face the Nats in April, but is 0-1 with a 10.57 ERA (nine runs in 7 ⅔ innings) in two career starts against Washington.

One pregame roster move this morning: The Nats have reinstated Thaddeus Ward from the 15-day injured list and optioned Joe La Sorsa to Triple-A Rochester.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Where: PNC Park
Gametime: 12:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 66 degrees, wind 5 mph from left to right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
C Keibert Ruiz
DH Joey Meneses
1B Dominic Smith
2B Luis García
LF Travis Balnkenhorn
3B Jake Alu
CF Jacob Young

RHP Josiah Gray

PIRATES
2B Ji Hwan Bae
DH Bryan Reynolds
RF Connor Joe
CF Jack Suwinski
LF Joshua Palacios
SS Liover Peguero
1B Alfonso Rivas
3B Jared Triolo
C Jason Delay

RHP Mitch Keller