Game 109 lineups: Nats at Diamondbacks

PHOENIX - Hello from The Valley of the Sun, where it's a dry 109 degrees outside but thankfully much cooler inside Chase Field, where the Nationals and Diamondbacks open a three-game series tonight. The Nats have three new relievers available out of their bullpen in Hunter Strickland, Daniel Hudson and Roenis Elías. We'll find out soon enough how Davey Martinez intends to use them.

Before they can get to any of those relievers, of course, Joe Ross takes the ball for only his second major league start of the season. Ross wasn't bad in his previous start a couple weeks ago in Atlanta. He did struggle mightily when he came in out of the bullpen following opener Matt Grace last weekend against the Dodgers. The ball carries here in Phoenix, so Ross is going to have to keep his two-seamer down in the zone and try to force the Diamondbacks to pound the ball into the ground.

The Nationals lineup is facing a left-hander, as expected, but not the left-hander originally listed as tonight's starter. Robbie Ray will now go Saturday night against Stephen Strasburg, so it's fellow southpaw Alex Young in tonight's opener. The rookie is 4-0 with a 2.51 ERA in six games (five starts), so he's no slouch. The Nats are fielding a righty heavy lineup, as you'd expect. So that means Howie Kendrick at first base (even though Matt Adams is available).

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Where: Chase Field
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, MLB.com
Weather: Indoors

NATIONALS (57-51)
SS Trea Turner
RF Adam Eaton
3B Anthony Rendon
LF Juan Soto
1B Howie Kendrick
2B Brian Dozier
C Yan Gomes
CF Victor Robles
RHP Joe Ross

DIAMONDBACKS (54-55)
CF Jarrod Dyson
2B Ketel Marte
3B Eduardo Escobar
LF David Peralta
RF Adam Jones
1B Jake Lamb
SS Nick Ahmed
C Carson Kelly
LHP Alex Young