With their magic number to clinch the National League East crown down to six, the Washington Nationals will turn to a sixth starter Sunday afternoon, giving Chien-Ming Wang his first major league start since June 19.
A doubleheader on Wednesday, combined with the Nationals’ reluctance to pitch anyone on short rest, forced them into needing an extra starter for Sunday’s game. A relief outing on Wednesday night convinced manager Davey Johnson that Wang would be up to the task.
Wang hasn’t started anywhere since the first week in September, though, and his rehab outings (Wang spent much of the season on the disabled list with a hip train) weren’t very strong by the numbers. The Nationals aren’t sure how deep into the game he’ll be able to pitch, so it’s likely Craig Stammen and Tom Gorzelanny will both be on call if necessary.
The Nationals can ensure at least a split of this four-game series with the Brewers with a win.
Here are the full lineups:
Nationals
Jayson Werth RF
Bryce Harper CF
Ryan Zimmerman 3B
Adam LaRoche 1B
Michael Morse LF
Ian Desmond SS
Danny Espinosa 2B
Kurt Suzuki C
Chien-Ming Wang P
Brewers
Norichika Aoki RF
Rickie Weeks 2B
Ryan Braun LF
Aramis Ramirez 3B
Corey Hart 1B
Jonathan Lucroy C
Logan Schafer CF
Jean Segura SS
Yovani Gallardo P
