Game 38 lineups: Nats at Pirates

PITTSBURGH - Hello from beautiful PNC Park, where the sun is shining and it's going to be very toasty the next three days as the Nationals and Pirates square off. The stakes aren't quite as high for this series as that other series between teams from Washington and Pittsburgh the last couple weeks, but these are important games for the Nats, who are hoping to avoid the kind of late-inning fiascos that were an issue pretty much every single night last week.

Stephen Strasburg is on the mound for tonight's series opener, coming off his worst start of the young season (in which he gave up five runs in six innings to the Orioles). The lineup Strasburg faces tonight isn't nearly as fearsome; the Pirates rank last the National League in runs, hits and total bases, second-to-last in batting average, slugging percentage and homers.

Right-hander Chad Kuhl starts for Pittsburgh, his second career appearance against the Nationals. The 24-year-old hasn't been able to reach the sixth inning in any of his last four outings and hasn't thrown more than 92 pitches in any start so far this season. Kuhl did, however, shut out the Nats on one hit over six innings last July in D.C. Daniel Murphy is the only regular not in tonight's lineup, with Wilmer Difo getting the start at second base.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, XM 187/869, MLB.com
Weather: Mostly clear, 83 degrees, wind 8 mph right field to left field

NATIONALS (24-13)
SS Trea Turner
LF Jayson Werth
RF Bryce Harper
1B Ryan Zimmerman
3B Anthony Rendon
C Matt Wieters
CF Michael A. Taylor
2B Wilmer Difo
RHP Stephen Strasburg

PIRATES (16-22)
LF Adam Frazier
2B Josh Harrison
CF Andrew McCutchen
RF John Jaso
3B David Freese
1B Josh Bell
C Francisco Cervelli
SS Jordy Mercer
RHP Chad Kuhl