Game 38 lineups: Nats at Red Sox

BOSTON – The Nationals pulled off a win last night with Patrick Corbin on the mound, thanks to five strong innings from the veteran lefty. The offense also staked him to an early lead and then provided two insurance runs in the ninth inning.

Now with a victory already in hand, they turn to two of their better starters for the remainder of the series: Jake Irvin and MacKenzie Gore.

Irvin takes the ball this afternoon with a 2-3 record, 3.72 ERA and 1.190 WHIP. The right-hander was charged with four unearned runs in his last start against the Blue Jays. He’s given up two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five outings. If you take out his rough start against the Dodgers (six runs in 4 ⅔ innings), Irvin has a 2.65 ERA over his six other starts.

Cooper Criswell takes the mound for the Red Sox. Although he has made major league appearances in each of the last three seasons, the 27-year-old still holds his rookie status. The right-hander has pitched well over his first five appearances (four starts) this season, going 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 1.065 WHIP. He hasn’t given up more than two runs in any of his appearances, but he hasn’t pitched more than five innings either.

If the Nats offense can jump on him early again, that should set them up for more success, especially with Kyle Finnegan not pitching last night. 

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at BOSTON RED SOX
Where: Fenway Park
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 52 degrees, wind 13 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
CF Jacob Young
SS CJ Abrams
2B Luis García Jr.
1B Joey Menese
DH Jesse Winker
C Keibert Ruiz
LF Eddie Rosario
3B Trey Lipscomb
RF Victor Robles

RHP Jake Irvin

RED SOX
CF Jarren Duran
RF Wilyer Abreu
LF Tyler O’Neill
3B Rafael Devers
DH Vaughn Grissom
1B Dominic Smith
C Reese McGuire
2B David Hamilton
SS Ceddanne Rafaela

RHP Cooper Criswell