Nationals Lineup: 4/1/18
After a strong 13-7 win yesterday, the Nationals will take on the Reds at 4:10 PM today with Gio Gonzalez (2.96 ERA last year) on the mound. The lineup features several small changes, whose impacts will be discussed below.
- Adam Eaton-LF
- Anthony Rendon-3B
- Bryce Harper-RF
- Ryan Zimmerman-1B
- Trea Turner-SS
- Michael A Taylor-CF
- Miguel Montero-C
- Gio Gonzalez-P
- Wilmer Difo-2B
The first and most obvious change is the pitcher hitting eighth, and Wilmer Difo hitting ninth. Difo is starting over Kendrick, but the expectation was for them to split time, as Difo showed himself to be deserving of time last year when Trea Turner was injured. The logical train of thought is that when your leadoff hitter is the hottest hitter in baseball (Adam Eaton was 5-5 with three XBHs yesterday) you need runners on for him, so it’s better to have a good “second leadoff” in the nine hole so to speak.
Another change is Miguel Montero starting over Matt Wieters. Both are veterans, and Wieters will definitely need to split time throughout the season. We should expect him to have a rest day once every few games. Other than that, since Difo is hitting ninth where Kendrick hit fifth, everyone else is sliding up one spot. This isn’s major, but Trea Turner did hit a big HR yesterday, so it will be nice to see him be able to use his power in the five hole.
Despite the Reds throwing another RHP today, Ryan Zimmerman and Michael A Taylor are back in the starting lineup for their lefty counterparts Matt Adams and Brian Goodwin.
