You’ll notice one glaring omission from Jim Riggleman’s lineup tonight: Adam Dunn is nowhere to be found.
Dunn has been part of the Nationals’ starting lineup 143 times in 146 games this year, so this is indeed a rare event. Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with the big slugger. Riggleman simply has been looking for a way to get Mike Morse a start at first base. And with a tough lefty (Cole Hamels) on the mound for the Phillies, it made sense to do it tonight.
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“I’ll tell you, [Dunn] comes to play every day,” Riggleman said. “He’s not looking for an off-day. He’s not looking to dodge anybody on the schedule. He’s a guy that if you want, you can put his name down there first and put the rest of the lineup around him. Because you know he’s going to be ready to play every day.”
So here’s how the Nats will stack them up against Hamels and the Phillies, who have one small change to their lineup as well (Nat-killer Raul Ibanez is off)…
NATIONALS
CF Justin Maxwell
SS Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Josh Willingham
RF Elijah Dukes
2B Ian Desmond
1B Mike Morse
C Wil Nieves
P Ross Detwiler
PHILLIES
SS Jimmy Rollins
CF Shane Victorino
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
RF Jayson Werth
LF Ben Francisco
3B Pedro Feliz
C Carlos Ruiz
P Cole Hamels
