Game 2 lineups: Nats at Braves

ATLANTA - Hello again from Turner Field, where tonight the Nationals and Braves wrap up their abbreviated, two-game series to open the season. Odd scheduling for this one, with the 4:10 p.m. start on Monday, then an off-day, then a 7:10 p.m. start tonight. The Nats aren't real happy this is a night game, what with their own home opener scheduled for 4:05 p.m. Thursday.

All of this, of course, is weather permitting. Tomorrow's forecast in D.C. looks awful (90 percent chance of rain), so the Nationals and Marlins could be looking at a postponement until Friday. But there's also rain headed this way later tonight, perhaps early enough to impact the latter stages of this game.

They should have no trouble getting underway, however, with Stephen Strasburg taking a mound that has not been so kind to him over the years. Strasburg owns a 4.79 ERA in nine career starts here, though he tossed six scoreless innings in his lone appearance here last season. As always, the key for Strasburg tonight is to contain Freddie Freeman (12-for-28, three home runs, 1.321 OPS against him).

Ben Revere, as expected, is not in tonight's lineup after feeling a pull in one of his right rib cage muscles Monday afternoon. Michael A. Taylor will take his spot in center field, and he'll also lead off. Taylor's not a prototypical leadoff man, given his low walk rate and high strikeout rate, but he does bring speed and power to the table, and Dusty Baker didn't want to shake up the rest of his lineup too much.

Enjoy the game and be sure to tune into "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" at 6:15 p.m. - I'll have a live update on Revere and other topics of the day from the field ...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Turner Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, XM 869, MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain late, 67 degrees, wind 13 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
CF Michael A. Taylor
3B Anthony Rendon
RF Bryce Harper
1B Ryan Zimmerman
2B Daniel Murphy
LF Jayson Werth
C Wilson Ramos
SS Danny Espinosa
RHP Stephen Strasburg

BRAVES
CF Ender Inciarte
SS Erick Aybar
1B Freddie Freeman
3B Adonis Garcia
RF Nick Markakis
LF Hector Olivera
C A.J. Pierzynski
2B Jace Peterson
RHP Bud Norris