Game 5 lineups: Nats vs. Pirates

The first four games of the Nationals’ season all were played in daylight, three of them starting shortly after 4 p.m., the other shortly after 1:30 p.m. Now, at last in Game 5 of the season, we get our first night game. But don’t forget: Night games at Nationals Park now start at 6:45 p.m. Adjust your commuting and TV-watching plans accordingly.

After a disappointing home opener Monday, the Nats will hope not only to beat the undefeated Pirates tonight, but perhaps even take an early lead and hold it all night. They’ve played 36 innings to date in 2024, and would you believe they’ve held the lead at the end of only three of those? That’s not a winning formula, even if they did manage to win one game in Cincinnati.

The Nationals also haven’t received a quality start from anyone yet. Trevor Williams would be an unlikely candidate to deliver the first one of those this season, but the veteran right-hander is certainly capable of keeping his team in the ballgame for five, maybe six, innings. That’s what Davey Martinez will hope for tonight before handing it over to a fresh bullpen thanks to Tuesday’s day off.

All of this, of course, depends on the weather. The forecast again isn’t great, but it looks better than it did earlier. And even though it didn’t look great Monday, they still played without a drop falling from the sky during the game. So keep hope alive!

PITTSBURGH PIRATES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Rain, 55 degrees, wind 12 mph left field to right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
DH Joey Meneses
1B Joey Gallo
C Keibert Ruiz
LF Eddie Rosario
3B Trey Lipscomb
2B Luis García Jr.
CF Victor Robles

RHP Trevor Williams

PIRATES
SS Oneil Cruz
RF Bryan Reynolds
3B Ke'Bryan Hayes
LF Jack Suwinski
DH Andrew McCutchen
1B Rowdy Tellez
C Henry Davis
2B Jared Triolo
CF Michael A. Taylor

RHP Mitch Keller