Game 64 lineups: Nats at Padres (Rosenthal activated)

SAN DIEGO - After a couple of gloomy evenings to begin the weekend, the sun has finally come out and it's a beautiful day here. Maybe that's a good omen for the Nationals, who had to be feeling a bit gloomy themselves after Friday night's walk-off loss to the Padres. Things can only get sunnier from here, right?

Here's reason for the Nationals to feel upbeat: Max Scherzer is on the mound tonight. That certainly doesn't guarantee victory, as we've seen too many times this season. But Scherzer has been excellent of late, allowing two runs over his last 20 innings, striking out 30 while walking only four. Yeah, that's pretty good.

The Nats lineup is facing a lefty starter for the third consecutive night, with Eric Lauer on the mound for San Diego. It's Lauer's third career start against Washington. He tossed six innings of one-run ball last season, then allowed two runs on only two hits over 5 2/3 innings earlier this season in D.C.

There's a roster move to announce, and it's a bit of a surprise: Trevor Rosenthal has been activated off the injured list. The Nationals could have waited until Monday to make a decision on the reliever, whose 30-day rehab assignment was about to expire, but they decided to go ahead and bring him back now. It'll be fascinating to see how and when he pitches for them. Kyle McGowin, who had seen minimal action as a long reliever, gets optioned to Triple-A Fresno to clear a spot for Rosenthal.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN DIEGO PADRES
Where: Petco Park
Gametime: 10:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 65 degrees, wind 6 mph out to right field

NATIONALS (28-35)
SS Trea Turner
RF Adam Eaton
3B Anthony Rendon
LF Juan Soto
1B Howie Kendrick
2B Brian Dozier
C Kurt Suzuki
CF Victor Robles
RHP Max Scherzer

PADRES (33-31)
3B Greg Garcia
CF Wil Myers
SS Manny Machado
1B Eric Hosmer
RF Franmil Reyes
LF Josh Naylor
2B Ian Kinsler
C Austin Allen
LHP Eric Lauer