And we’re back. After a much-needed, four-day break, the Nationals return for the second half of the season, surely hoping it will go much better than the first half did. The “second half,” of course, is a misnomer. They’ve already played 96 games, so there are only 66 still to be played.
It begins tonight with the opener of a three-game series against the Padres, who are sending someone to the mound the Nats may not be thrilled to see again: Dylan Cease. Almost exactly one year ago, the right-hander tossed a no-hitter here at Nationals Park. Cease hasn’t been nearly as good this season; he enters 3-9 with a 4.88 ERA, but he’s still striking out more than 11 batters per nine innings.
The All-Star break gave Miguel Cairo and Jim Hickey a chance to reorganize their rotation. So with MacKenzie Gore having thrown his scoreless inning Tuesday in Atlanta, he’ll now be pushed back to Sunday. And with Jake Irvin having thrown Sunday’s first half finale in Milwaukee, he’ll get extra rest. So it’s Michael Soroka out of the chute tonight, with Mitchell Parker set for Saturday night’s game.
SAN DIEGO PADRES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 80 degrees, wind 66 mph out to left field
PADRES
Lineup TBA
RHP Dylan Crews
NATIONALS
Lineup TBA
RHP Michael Soroka