Preview: Nationals vs. Braves
By Pablo Roa
Feb 19, 2014; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher
Jordan Zimmermann(27) in spring training action at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Nationals return to Viera on Saturday to take on the Atlanta Braves at Space Coast stadium for their Grapefruit League home opener. Jordan Zimmerman will get the start for the Nationals and he’ll likely get two innings of work in. The Braves will counter with Julio Tehran, the pitcher who caused the benches to clear in D.C. after hitting Bryce Harper with a pitch last August.
While today’s matchup won’t be quite as exciting as it will be when the Braves visit Nationals Park a month from now, games between these two clubs are never boring. The Nationals will play the Braves five times this spring (including today), and 19 times during the regular season.
Matt Williams also gave some insight as to what we can expect the pitching rotation to look like over the next few days. The Nationals will send Doug Fister to the mound tomorrow against the Marlins, Ross Detwiler on Monday against the Yankees and Stephen Strasburg on Tuesday against the Braves. Jayson Werth, the only regular who has yet to make an appearance this spring, will make his Grapefruit League debut tomorrow.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.. Today’s game will not air on TV or local radio so be sure to stay tuned to District on Deck and follow us on Twitter for full coverage of the Nationals’ Grapefruit League home opener against the Braves!
Here are the lineups for today’s game:
NATIONALS
CF Denard Span
2B Anthony Rendon
LF Bryce Harper
1B Tyler Moore
SS Danny Espinosa
C Jose Lobaton
3B Zach Walters
RF Steven Souza Jr.
DH Brock Peterson
(RHP Jordan Zimmermann)
BRAVES
CF Jordan Schafer
SS Andrelton Simmons
1B Freddie Freeman
C Ryan Doumit
3B Chris Johnson
2B Dan Uggla
DH Tommy La Stella
RF Matt Lipka
LF Jose Constanza
(RHP Julio Teheran)