Game 102 lineups: Nats vs. Rockies

The last time Max Scherzer was on the mound for the Nationals, he was wearing an Expos uniform. And he was on fire. With seven scoreless innings of 11-strikeout ball against the Royals, Scherzer had capped off a brilliant seven-start stretch that included a 7-0 record, 0.87 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 79-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Scherzer, of course, hasn't pitched since then because of a back injury, finally diagnosed as an inflamed bursa sac underneath his right shoulder blade. He's back at last today, feeling great after getting a cortisone shot, ready to make up for lost time and perhaps pitch the Nationals to a four-game sweep of the Rockies.

Scherzer is going up against a Rockies lineup that may look potent on paper but really only qualifies as potent at home. At Coors Field, the Rockies hit a majors-best .307 with an .894 OPS. But on the road, they hit an majors-worst .222 with a .654 OPS that tops only the Marlins. Yeah, the altitude and ballpark make that big a difference.

The Nationals, who went 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position Wednesday while still sweeping the doubleheader, will try to be a bit more productive at the plate against Rockies right-hander Jeff Hoffman. The 26-year-old is 1-3 with a 6.75 ERA in seven starts, the first of which came against Washington back on April 23 (four runs in five innings).

COLORADO ROCKIES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 85 degrees, wind 5 mph in from center field

NATIONALS (55-46)
SS Trea Turner
RF Adam Eaton
3B Anthony Rendon
LF Juan Soto
1B Matt Adams
C Kurt Suzuki
2B Brian Dozier
CF Victor Robles
RHP Max Scherzer

ROCKIES (47-55)
RF Charlie Blackmon
SS Trevor Story
CF David Dahl
1B Daniel Murphy
LF Raimel Tapia
3B Ryan McMahon
2B Garrett Hampson
C Tony Wolters
RHP Jeff Hoffman