In what could have been the start of a long day instead began on a positive note as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Washington Nationals in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader. The Dodgers have won back-to-back games for the first time since winning three in a row from May 2-4.
Rich Hill will look to keep the momentum going while also avoiding a repeat of the blister trouble that forced him to an early exit in his last outing. Despite coming out of the game, Hill maintained it wouldn’t prevent him from starting against the Nationals.
He enters 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA and 1.74 ERA in five starts this season. When Hill last pitched at Nationals Park in September 2017, he allowed just one run and had seven strikeouts over five innings.
Hill is backed by a Dodgers lineup that features several regulars, just not at their usual positions. Cody Bellinger again is in center field, while Yasmani Grandal is at first base, and Max Muncy moves over to third.
The Nationals start Max Scherzer in what’s his 10th start of the season. He’s 7-1 with a 1.69 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and a National League-leading 93 strikeouts.
One of Scherzer’s wins came April 20 at Dodger Stadium, when he held the Dodgers to one run on four hits across six innings pitched.
LF: Joc Pederson
3B: Max Muncy
1B: Yasmani Grandal
CF: Cody Bellinger
SS: Chris Taylor
2B: Chase Utley
RF: Yasiel Puig
C: Austin Barnes
P: Rich Hill
Nationals lineup:
SS: Trea Turner
2B: Wilmer Difo
RF: Bryce Harper
3B: Anthony Rendon
1B: Mark Reynolds
CF: Michael A. Taylor
C: Pedro Severino
P: Max Scherzer
LF: Andrew Stevenson
