The Nationals are back home after a 5-2 road trip that began with a four-game sweep in Miami but ended with only two runs scored in three games in Texas. It was, to be sure, a successful trip. But it wasn’t necessarily a satisfying trip, given the way things went against the Rangers.
But the boys are back home now for the next week, and they’ll continue this long stretch of interleague play with a couple of series against American League East foes. First up are the Blue Jays, who are off to a frustrating start for a club that has visions of playing in October.
Patrick Corbin will be challenged to hold a Toronto lineup that looks intimidating on paper in check. The lefty needs a quality start in the worst way. Though the Nats won his last start in Miami, he dug them into an early 7-0 hole. That’s not exactly a recipe for consistent success.
At the plate, the Nationals have to start putting together more quality at-bats, and it starts with the bats in the middle of their lineup. CJ Abrams, Nick Senzel and Luis García Jr. have been doing a nice job lately, but Joey Meneses, Jesse Winker and Keibert Ruiz are really struggling right now and have to get back on track for this team to score more runs.
Reminder: Tonight’s game is exclusively on Apple TV+, so unfortunately you’ll need a subscription to that streaming service in order to watch. The good news: Apple is offering free two-month trials that you can access by going to apple.co/mlbgift
WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: Apple TV+
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 66 degrees, wind 13 mph in from right field
NATIONALS
CF Jacob Young
SS CJ Abrams
3B Nick Senzel
1B Joey Meneses
DH Keibert Ruiz
RF Alex Call
LF Ildemaro Vargas
C Riley Adams
2B Trey Lipscomb
LHP Patrick Corbin
BLUE JAYS
RF George Springer
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
SS Bo Bichette
DH Justin Turner
C Danny Jansen
LF Davis Schneider
CF Daulton Varsho
2B Isaiah Kiner-Falefa
3B Ernie Clement
LHP Yusei Kikuchi