Nats adjust weekend rotation, will stick with four starters

By Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

August 04, 2016, 8:39am

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The Nationals have adjusted their rotation for the weekend, electing to bump everyone up a day, have them pitch on normal rest and skip over the fifth starter's spot for now.

The club had initially left Friday night's starter against the Giants as "TBD" but now Gio Gonzalez will start the opener at Nationals Park, with Stephen Strasburg on Saturday and Tanner Roark on Sunday.

All three will be pitching on normal four days' rest, thanks to today's day off-day for the team.

With two more off-days coming up next week, the Nationals could choose to wait until August 16 to use a fifth starter, though it's unclear if they'll wait that long. The plan likely depends on how Joe Ross emerges from his third rehab start this weekend.

Ross, out since July 3 with right shoulder inflammation, is scheduled to throw roughly 80-90 pitches in this next rehab start, the date and time of which has not yet been announced. If he emerges from that feeling well, he could come off the disabled list and rejoin the rotation late next week.