We're less than two hours away from first pitch and are still waiting for the Nationals to send out their lineup for today's game against the Cardinals.
The holdup is almost certainly related to Jayson Werth, who was pulled from last night's game in the ninth inning due to a hamstring cramp.
Werth didn't sound concerned about the hamstring after the game and said that he hoped to be able to play today. But with it being a day game after a night game and the Nats not wanting the hamstring issue to turn into something that lingers, it's possible manager Davey Johnson gives Werth the day off.
We shall see.
Update: Werth is in today's lineup. The hamstring apparently is feeling better today. Chad Tracy will play first, with Adam LaRoche getting a day off.
Update II: Werth is no longer in today's lineup. The veteran outfielder was a last-minute scratch. Roger Bernadina will play center field and hit leadoff, while Bryce Harper will move to right field.
It'll be Stephen Strasburg and Jake Westbrook on the mound today. Strasburg is looking to come back from one of his worst starts of the season his last time out, when he allowed seven runs (five earned) over five innings in a loss to the Marlins.
Chien-Ming Wang has joined the Nationals today after making his final rehab start last night.
The outing wasn't exactly what Wang wanted; he allowed six runs on seven hits and was pulled after just two innings of work.
He'll be an option for Johnson in relief over the final few weeks of the regular season, although because he threw yesterday, Wang won't be available for a few more days.
Here's the Cardinals' lineup while we wait on the Nationals':
CF Jon Jay
RF Carlos Beltran
LF Matt Holliday
1B Allen Craig
3B David Freese
C Bryan Anderson
SS Pete Kozma
2B Daniel Descalso
P Jake Westbrook
And here's the Nats' lineup:
RF Jayson Werth
CF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Michael Morse
1B Chad Tracy
SS Ian Desmond
2B Danny Espinosa
C Kurt Suzuki
P Stephen Strasburg
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