Game 154 lineups: Nats at Mets

NEW YORK - First, the most important news of the day: Bryce Harper (along with Brian Goodwin and Stephen Drew) batted in another simulated game today, facing Nationals minor leaguers Steven Fuentes and Alex Troop. By all indications (i.e., from what I could tell from my vantage point up in the press box) things went well, which means it should be decision time for the Nats with Harper, who doesn't seem to have any more hurdles to cross before playing in an actual game.

Stay tuned for any updates on that. In the meantime, there's still tonight's game against the Mets. It will feature Stephen Strasburg on the mound for the Nationals in likely his second-to-final start of the regular season. It will feature most of the Nats regulars returning to the lineup after getting last night off (though Ryan Zimmerman is sitting for the second straight game). It will feature Jayson Werth back in left field (perhaps a sign the Nationals expect Harper to be their right fielder again very soon. And it will feature a strange pitching plan for the Mets.

Noah Syndergaard is starting the game. It's the right-hander's first big league appearance since April 30, when he gave up five runs in 1 1/3 innings at Nationals Park and departed with a torn lat muscle. Five months later, he's ready to return ... but only for one inning. And so Matt Harvey is expected to replace Syndergaard for the top of the second and continue to pitch as though he was starting all along.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at NEW YORK METS
Where: Citi Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, XM 184/869, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 81 degrees, wind 7 mph in from left field

NATIONALS (92-61)
SS Trea Turner
LF Jayson Werth
2B Daniel Murphy
3B Anthony Rendon
1B Adam Lind
CF Michael A. Taylor
RF Andrew Stevenson
C Matt Wieters
RHP Stephen Strasburg

METS (66-87)
RF Norichika Aoki
2B José Reyes
3B Asdrúbal Cabrera
LF Brandon Nimmo
C Kevin Plawecki
1B Dominic Smith
SS Amed Rosario
CF Juan Lagares
RHP Noah Syndergaard