After taking a hard 7-4 loss last night, the Braves are back at it again this afternoon. Things could be even rougher for our Bravos today though, as Washington sends fireballing right-hander Stephen Strasburg to the mound. The Braves counter with Mike Minor, whose struggles have been well documented. The Braves haven't won since Minor lost his last start, and they need him to play the roll of stopper today. A turnaround for Minor could be coming however - his strikeout and walk rates are both very good still. If Minor can harness his control a bit better and not leave as much up and over the plate, I think he could have a solid start.
Braves lineup:
- Michael Bourn, CF
- Tyler Pastornicky, SS
- Martin Prado, LF
- Dan Uggla, 2B
- Freddie Freeman, 1B
- Jason Heyward, RF
- Juan Francisco, 3B
- J.C. Boscan, C
- Mike Minor, P
J.C. Boscan was called up today after Chipper was DL'd. Since McCann is still a bit sick (and caught most of last night's game) and Ross is nursing his groin strain, Boscan will start and bat 8th. Francisco will play 3rd for an injured Chipper. Prado moves down to the 3 hole while Freeman is bumped from there to 5. Pastornicky moves up to hit in Prado's normal 2 hole.
Nats linuep after the jump:
Here's how the Nats lineup today
- Danny Espinosa, 2B
- Bryce Harper, CF
- Ryan Zimmerman, 3B
- Adam LaRoche, 1B
- Ian Desmond, SS
- Xavier Nady, RF
- Tyler Moore, LF
- Jesus Flores, C
- Stephen Strasburg, P