ATLANTA – The Nationals got their coveted 70th win of the season Friday night, and it took everything they had to get there. Davey Martinez used six relievers after pulling Trevor Williams in the fourth inning. Which means he may not have as many options tonight.
The problem: Joan Adon hasn’t exactly shown a propensity for pitching deep in games. The 25-year-old right-hander has reached the sixth inning in only three of his nine starts, and he’s taken the loss in his last three outings. If Adon can’t provide length tonight, Martinez may have no choice but to use the likes of Thaddeus Ward or Cory Abbott in a situation of consequence. We also could see Tanner Rainey make his season debut tonight.
The Nationals lineup exploded for 10 runs Friday night, blasting five homers to match a season high. That came against fill-in starter Allan Winans. Tonight, they face Spencer Strider, who seeks his 20th win and to get closer to the 300-strikeout mark in his final tune-up before the postseason. The Nats did score four runs in 5 2/3 innings against Strider last weekend, so it’s not necessarily a lost cause.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Truist Park
Gametime: 7:20 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 80 degrees, wind 3 mph in from left field
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
DH Joey Meneses
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García
1B Dominic Smith
3B Carter Kieboom
LF Jake Alu
CF Jacob Young
RHP Joan Adon
BRAVES
RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
2B Ozzie Albies
3B Austin Riley
1B Matt Olson
DH Marcell Ozuna
CF Michael Harris II
C Sean Murphy
LF Eddie Rosario
SS Orlando Arcia
RHP Spencer Strider