Game 64 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

First we thought Stephen Strasburg would be starting tonight. Then we thought Josiah Gray would be starting tonight. Neither is, Strasburg because of an injury that today put him on the 15-day injured list, Gray because he wasn’t ready to bounce back after completing a full warmup session before Monday night’s game was delayed by rain.

So who’s starting for the Nationals tonight against a Braves team that has won 12 in a row to climb back into the NL East race? That would be Jackson Tetreault. Who’s Jackson Tetreault, you ask? He’s a 26-year-old right-hander drafted in the seventh round in 2017. In 12 starts at Triple-A Rochester, he went 5-3 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.293 WHIP, striking out 52 while walking 24. He’s not officially ranked among the organization’s top 30 prospects, but he made his most recent start Thursday and that means he was already on schedule for tonight, something the club’s other potential pitching options were not.

So, welcome to the majors, Jackson. Now, go out there and hold Ronald Acuña Jr., Dansby Swanson, Austin Riley and Co. in check for at least five solid innings, OK?

The Nationals could help their rookie starter out with some early run support. To do that, they’ll have to produce against lefty Max Fried, who enters 6-2 with a 2.64 ERA but hasn’t been as successful in his career against the Nats. Old stats don’t mean a whole lot, given how different this current lineup looks compared to previous ones. But they did get to Fried for three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings when they met earlier this year in Atlanta.

In addition to selecting Tetreault's contract, the Nationals have also selected the contract of right-hander Reed Garrett from Rochester and recalled lefty Francisco Pérez. Along with Strasburg's latest stop on the IL, the team made space for the three by optioning reliever Jordan Weems to Rochester and designating utility player Dee Strange-Gordon for assignment.

ATLANTA BRAVES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (outside D.C. market), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field

NATIONALS
RF Lane Thomas
2B César Hernández
DH Nelson Cruz
1B Josh Bell
3B Maikel Franco
SS Luis Garcia
C Riley Adams
LF Ehire Adrianza
CF Victor Robles

RHP Jackson Tetreault

BRAVES
RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
SS Dansby Swanson
3B Austin Riley
1B Matt Olson
C Travis d’Arnaud
DH Marcell Ozuna
LF Adam Duvall
2B Orlando Arcia
CF Michael Harris II

LHP Max Fried