Weekend pitching matchups are set, then re-set

Nationals manager Matt Williams has announced how the first three starting pitchers will line up coming out of the All-Star break. The result sets up some of the game's premier pitching matchups of the season as the National League West-leading Dodgers visit Nationals Park this weekend.

Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann will square off with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw on Friday night. Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and last year's NL MVP, took the loss in Tuesday's All-Star Game after giving up two runs in the fifth inning. But pay no attention to the exhibition blip with Kershaw - in his last start on July 8, the dominant left-hander struck out 13 to take the major league lead with 160 overall.

Meanwhile, Zimmermann hasn't lost in the past month, posting a 3-0 record with a 1.63 ERA and yielding only one walk with 21 strikeouts over the dazzling stretch.

Williams sends right-hander Doug Fister to the mound on Saturday for the first time since July 6. Fister brings a 3-4 mark with a 4.08 ERA into the game against Dodgers right-hander Mike Bolsinger, who is 4-3 with a 3.08 ERA in 13 starts this season.

Nationals ace Max Scherzer was the favorite to start for the NL in the All-Star Game, but Williams' decision to pitch Sunday in Baltimore left the right-hander unavailable. So instead, Dodgers right-hander Zack Grienke got the call in the Midsummer Classic. On Sunday, the two will face off in the series finale.

Grienke lowered his ERA to a major league-best 1.39 after not allowing a run in his final five starts leading up to the break. Over the streak, the Grienke whiffed 31 and walked just three.

Scherzer's 2.02 ERA is on the heels of Grienke's after tossing a no-hitter and a one-hit shutout in consecutive games during the first half.

With left-hander Gio Gonzalez likely to pitch Monday night against the Mets at Nationals Park, the question remains how Williams will handle the fifth starter in the rotation with right-hander Stephen Strasburg (left oblique strain) on the 15-day disabled list.

Despite his 5.61 ERA, Tanner Roark has pitched well as a starter this season. The right-hander is 3-1 in six starts while bouncing back and forth to the bullpen. If Williams doesn't opt for Roark, we could see the return of rookie right-hander Joe Ross, who was 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA in three starts this season.

Update: The Dodgers just altered their rotation plans for this weekend. Bolsinger will now start Friday night against Zimmermann while Kershaw faces Fister in Saturday's matinee.