Game 3 lineups: Nats vs. Mets

The pomp and circumstance of opening night is behind us. The hubbub of Max Scherzer’s return to Nationals Park is also now behind us. Tonight, the real grind of the season begins with Game 3 of 162.

The Nats would certainly like to get their first win of the year sooner rather than later. To make it happen tonight, they’ll need a better performance from their starting pitcher than the four-plus innings they got from Patrick Corbin and Josiah Gray the last two nights. It’s a lot to ask of Joan Adon in his second career start, but the 23-year-old hasn’t looked fazed by anything thrown at him to date.

Some sustained offense would also be nice from the Nationals lineup, which managed only one run on opening night and then couldn’t plate a run off the Mets bullpen after scoring three off Scherzer on Friday night. Everyone will be getting a first look at new New York starter Chris Bassitt, an All-Star last year with the Athletics. Six current Nationals have faced Bassitt before, but only Nelson Cruz, Alcides Escobar and Dee Strange-Gordon have more than three career plate appearances against him.

As you may have heard, the Nats are debuting their “City Connect” cherry blossom uniforms tonight. They’ll wear them again Sunday.

NEW YORK METS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (outside D.C. market), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 53 degrees, wind 8 mph out to right field

NATIONALS
2B César Hernández
RF Juan Soto
DH Nelson Cruz
1B Josh Bell
LF Lane Thomas
3B Maikel Franco
SS Alcides Escobar
C Riley Adams
CF Victor Robles

RHP Joan Adon

METS
CF Brandon Nimmo
RF Starling Marte
SS Francisco Lindor
DH Pete Alonso
2B Jeff McNeil
1B Dominic Smith
LF Travis Jankowski
3B Luis Guillorme
C James McCann

RHP Chris Bassitt