Game 34 lineups: Nats at D-backs (Corbin on paternity leave)

Max Scherzer appears to be on one of those dominant rolls we've seen from him before, the kind that turns every one of his starts into must-see TV. Over his last six outings, the three-time Cy Young Award winner owns a 1.79 ERA, 0.769 WHIP and 52 strikeouts against only seven walks. (And remember, that stretch includes a seven-run blowup start against the Blue Jays, so he's been unbelievably great in the five other appearances.)

So even though it may require some extra caffeine, it might be worth trying to stay up late tonight for the Nationals' series opener in Phoenix. Hey, if I can do it, you can do it.

Scherzer will be facing a Diamondbacks lineup he already held to two hits over seven innings last month in D.C., and he won't even have to face his longtime opponent (and briefly teammate) Asdrúbal Cabrera, who unfortunately suffered a hamstring injury Thursday night against the Marlins. For his career, Scherzer is 7-0 with a 2.55 ERA against the franchise that drafted him in 2006. Wowzers.

The Nationals will hope to get another power surge tonight from a lineup that finally bust out for four first-inning runs Thursday against the Phillies. That group will be going up against right-hander Riley Smith, who has bounced back and forth between the Diamondbacks rotation and bullpen and has averaged only 4 1/3 innings in his last three starts.

The roof is expected to be open at Chase Field tonight, which usually means the ball flies. It'll be in the upper 90s outside, but the air conditioning will help keep the dry air cooler inside the massive ballpark.

One roster note to mention: The Nats have placed Patrick Corbin on the paternity list and recalled Paolo Espino to add another arm to the bullpen. Corbin, like Scherzer on the day his wife gave birth, pitched great Thursday. His wife, Jen, didn't quite pull it off as quickly as Erica Scherzer did, waiting til 6:37 a.m. to welcome Weston Alan Corbin into the world. But that's still an impressive feat. And I'm sensing a trend here.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Where: Chase Field
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 96 degrees, 12 mph left field to right field

NATIONALS
SS Trea Turner
2B Josh Harrison
RF Juan Soto
LF Kyle Schwarber
3B Starlin Castro
1B Josh Bell
C Yan Gomes
RHP Max Scherzer
CF Victor Robles

DIAMONDBACKS
RF Pavin Smith
SS Josh Rojas
3B Eduardo Escobar
LF David Peralta
2B Andrew Young
C Stephen Vogt
1B Josh VanMeter
CF Daulton Varsho
RHP Riley Smith