Game 19: Nats at Rockies lineups (Harper gets day off)

DENVER - The two teams with the most wins in the National League begin a four-game set tonight here at Coors Field. The Nationals and Rockies each have 13 wins. Only the Astros, in the American League, can match that total. The Nationals (13-5) have the best record percentage-wise at .722.

Bryce Harper is not in the Nationals' starting lineup. On the day he was named NL Player of the Week, Harper is geting the first game of the series at Coors Field off.

Right-hander Jacob Turner's contract has been selected from Triple-A Syracuse and he will start tonight. Turner takes the place of right-hander Stephen Strasburg, who has been placed on the paternity leave list.

The Rockies are off to the second-best start in franchise history at 13-6 under new manager Bud Black. One bright spot has been Colorado's late pitching, which has allowed only 3.00 ERA in innings seven through nine, a spot usually occupied by the bullpen.

These are the first road games for the Nationals not in the eastern time zone. They have started off 6-0 on this 10-game road trip. It is a bit cloudy in Denver today, and the possibility of rain comes later in the series.

Rockies fans I talked to believe the big difference is their closer Greg Holland, who has nine saves in nine appearances and a 2.00 ERA.

Local sportscaster Troy Renck of ABC Channel 7 in Denver believes having a pitching mind in the manager position is making a huge impact.

"I like Walt Weiss," said Renck, who covered the Rockies for several seasons for the Denver Post, in an interview first heard on "Nats Insider" Sunday night on 106.7 The Fan. "I coached against him in youth baseball. I covered Walt as a player. But Weiss had issues managing his bullpen. Partly because they weren't very good and partly because he could never seem to get a feel for it. What Bud Black has brought is a really distinguished resume on how to manage a pen, and so far it's an A+."

"I always think managers get evaluated on how you manage a pen and your bench players. Because if your everyday lineup and rotation stink, it doesn't matter if Connie Mack's the manager. You are not going to be very good. So far the way he's managed that pen is really given the tea an extra boost. Bud Black is the first pitcher to ever manage the Rockies, which is unusual given the complexity and challenge of pitching in Denver. I was intrigued by the idea of how a former pitcher, someone who pitched at Mile High Stadium, pitched in altitude as a player, how would that help the Rockies? And so far, so good. It's early, a small sample size, but Black has certainly left his imprint early on this season."

Turner is making his first start since July 22, 2016, while with the Chicago White Sox. Turner went 0-0 with a 2.61 ERA in three starts for Triple-A Syracuse. Turner is 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA in three starts against the Rockies. He took the loss in his only start at Coors Field on July 24, 2013, when Miami lost 2-1 at Colorado.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at COLORADO ROCKIES

Where: Coors Field, Denver, CO
Gametime: 8:40 p.m. EDT (6:40 p.m. MDT)
TV: MASN2
Radio: 106.7 FM, 980 AM, XM 186/869, MLB.com
Weather: 63 degrees, mostly cloudy, 5 percent chance of precipitation, winds east northeast at 12 mph

NATIONALS (13-5)

SS Trea Turner
RF Adam Eaton
3B Anthony Rendon
2B Daniel Murphy
1B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Jayson Werth
CF Michael A. Taylor
C Jose Lobaton
RHP Jacob Turner

ROCKIES (13-6)

CF Charlie Blackmon
2B DJ LeMahieu
3B Nolan Arenado
RF Carlos González
1B Mark Reynolds
LF Gerardo Parra
SS Trevor Story
C Tony Wolters
LHP Tyler Anderson