Game 18 lineups: Nats vs. Twins

It's an absolutely gorgeous Sunday here in the District, where the Nationals wrap up their interleague series with the Twins, seeking the weekend sweep and a 14-4 record that would match the 2012 Nats for the best 18-game start in franchise history. Obviously, there's a very long way to go (and much tougher competition to face) but things worked out pretty well after that previous 14-4 start (at least, until October).

Stephen Strasburg will be the guy on the mound for this one, looking to continue his electric start to the season (3-0, 1.25 ERA) and his utterly dominant stretch dating back to last summer. As ESPN's Buster Olney pointed out earlier this morning: Only Jake Arrieta (0.53) and Clayton Kershaw (1.54) own better ERAs since Aug. 1, 2015, than Strasburg (1.74). Pretty, pretty good.

Veteran Ervin Santana was originally scheduled to start for the Twins, but he was scratched with a stiff back. So it'll be 25-year-old right-hander Tyler Duffey making the start instead, summoned from Triple-A Rochester, where he sported a 1.72 ERA in three starts. Duffey has 10 games of big league experience, having gone 5-1 with a 3.10 ERA late last season for Minnesota.

Bryce Harper gets his first day off today, having played in every game so far. Don't worry, it's not injury-related, just an off-day ...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MINNESOTA TWINS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 99.1 FM, XM 183, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 64 degrees, wind 5 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
RF Matt den Dekker
CF Michael A. Taylor
2B Daniel Murphy
1B Ryan Zimmerman
3B Anthony Rendon
LF Jayson Werth
C Wilson Ramos
SS Stephen Drew
RHP Stephen Strasburg

TWINS
3B Eduardo Nunez
2B Brian Dozier
RF Miguel Sano
1B Byung Ho Park
LF Eddie Rosario
SS Eduardo Escobar
C JR Murphy
CF Byron Buxton
RHP Tyler Duffey