It's been a very pleasant, if just a bit chilly, afternoon here in the nation's capital. Would've been a great day for a ballgame. Unfortunately the Nationals and Mets don't play til 8:08 p.m., after the sun has gone down and the temperatures drop. It's going to be in the low 40s for most of tonight's game, maybe even dipping into the 30s before the end of the game. Don't worry, though, at least the Metro closes at 11 p.m. ...
OK, enough complaining for now. The Nationals kind of need to win tonight's game. It's not truly a "must-win situation" because those don't exist on April 8. But a fifth straight loss and a series sweep at the hands of the Mets wouldn't really go over so well among a lot of people right now. So it's probably in the Nats' best interests to try to find some way to pull this one out.
It'll be Tanner Roark on the mound, looking to duplicate his strong season debut when he held the Braves to one run and four hits in seven innings. The Nats lineup, which has Adam Eaton back up top, will be trying to take down Matt Harvey, who tossed five scoreless innings in his season debut. Anthony Rendon better hope he doesn't get ejected again, cause he's one of the only Nats with a positive record vs. Harvey (9-for-23, 1.092 OPS). Bryce Harper? Well, if you don't know the history, he's 2-for-29 with a .324 OPS in his career against The Dark Knight of Gotham.
NEW YORK METS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 8:08 p.m. EDT
TV: ESPN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 46 degrees, wind 11 mph in from left field
NATIONALS
LF Adam Eaton
3B Anthony Rendon
RF Bryce Harper
1B Matt Adams
2B Howie Kendrick
SS Trea Turner
CF Michael A. Taylor
C Pedro Severino
RHP Tanner Roark
METS
CF Michael Conforto
LF Yoenis Céspedes
RF Jay Bruce
3B Todd Frazier
2B Asdrúbal Cabrera
1B Adrián González
C Travis d'Arnaud
RHP Matt Harvey
SS Amed Rosario