And we're back for the nightcap of today's doubleheader. The Nationals did what they needed to in the opener, riding five strong innings from Jefry Rodriguez and a pair of four-run rallies to an 8-3 victory that moved them to within five games of the Phillies and 3 1/2 games of the Braves. There's still an opportunity to either gain or lose ground the rest of the evening, with Philadelphia playing late at Arizona.

The Nats have to like the fact they've got Max Scherzer on the mound tonight, though it should be noted the Braves did a nice job of making the ace work really hard when they last faced him 16 days ago. Scherzer needed 107 pitches to get through six innings, struggling to put away Atlanta's hitters with two strikes. The other good news, though: Neither Ryan Madson nor Kelvin Herrera so much as warmed up this afternoon, so each is good to pitch tonight in relief.

The Nationals are going with mostly the same lineup from the opener tonight against left-hander Sean Newcomb, aside from a swap of catchers and pitchers. That means Adam Eaton and Matt Adams are on the bench again, with Davey Martinez playing lefty-righty matchups and perhaps prioritizing defense in the outfield. This is the second time the Nats have faced Newcomb this season. They roughed him up way back on April 5, but he cruised for seven innings in a May 31 win at SunTrust Park.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ATLANTA BRAVES
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (out-of-market), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 1500 AM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 4 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
SS Trea Turner
LF Juan Soto
3B Anthony Rendon
RF Bryce Harper
1B Ryan Zimmerman
2B Daniel Murphy
CF Michael A. Taylor
C Matt Wieters
RHP Max Scherzer

BRAVES
LF Ronald Acuna Jr.
2B Charlie Culberson
1B Freddie Freeman
RF Nick Markakis
C Kurt Suzuki
CF Ender Inciarte
3B Johan Camargo
SS Dansby Swanson
LHP Sean Newcomb