By Dan Kolko on Sunday, August 18 2013
Category: Nationals

Harper and Werth playing, Zimmerman sitting

ATLANTA - Who's ready for some more baseball? The Nationals will take on the Braves this afternoon, about 13 hours after yesterday's game ended. Three players who played all 15 innings last night are in the Nats lineup today: Denard Span, Ian Desmond and Anthony Rendon. Jayson Werth (back stiffness) and Bryce Harper (left triceps bruise) are both in the lineup, as well. Harper was scratched from yesterday's starting lineup after he couldn't get his arm loose before the game, but replaced Scott Hairston in left field in the ninth and played the rest of the way. He said his arm feels OK today. Werth left last night's game in the eighth inning after feeling his back stiffen up on him. Werth said today that the back has been bothering him a bit for a couple of days, but he was going to try and play. He will, indeed. Ryan Zimmerman is not in the starting lineup, however. Zimmerman fouled a ball off his left shin last night and had the shin area wrapped today. Wilson Ramos will get a well-earned day off after catching all 15 innings last night. Kurt Suzuki will be behind the plate this afternoon. The Braves are running out a much different lineup than we've seen the last two days. Freddie Freeman, Chris Johnson and Paul Janish are the only players starting tonight who were in the starting lineup last night. Julio Teheran will start for the Braves today, less than two weeks after he hit Harper in D.C., setting off the chain of events that led to yesterday's dramatics in the early innings. For the Nats CF Denard Span 2B Anthony Rendon LF Bryce Harper RF Jayson Werth 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond 3B Chad Tracy C Kurt Suzuki LHP Gio Gonzalez For the Braves CF B.J. Upton 2B Phil Gosselin 1B Freddie Freeman LF Evan Gattis 3B Chris Johnson C Gerald Laird RF Joey Terdoslavich SS Paul Janish RHP Julio Teheran
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