Strasburg Seeks Sweep of Phillies

The first two games of this series have been some of the best that the Nationals have played all year. With Stephen Strasburg starting this afternoon, the Nats will try to buck the trend of not supporting their ace on offense and to get a home sweep of the Phillies. Strasburg has a 3.01 ERA this season, but is just 5-9 and the Nats are 7-15 in his starts this year. His counterpart will be Kyle Kendrick, who is 10-8 but has a 4.36 ERA. Here are this afternoon’s lineups:

Aug 9, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Ian Krol (46) is congratulated by teammates after recording the final out against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Washington

Denard Span CF

Ryan Zimmerman 3B

Bryce Harper LF

Jayson Werth RF

Ian Desmond SS

Adam LaRoche 1B

Wilson Ramos C

Steve Lombardozzi 2B

Strasburg RHP

Philadelphia

Jimmy Rollins SS

Kevin Frandsen 1B

Chase Utley 2B

Domonic Brown LF

Darin Ruf RF

Cody Asche 3B

Erik Kratz C

Michael Martinez CF

Kendrick RHP