The Washington Nationals will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7 p.m. Saturday in the first game of a three-game series at PNC Park. The series was supposed to begin on Friday, but the game was rained out. That was actually a good thing for the Nationals, as it allows them to get back to their normal pitching rotation.
Livan Hernandez will make his 450th consecutive start for the Nationals, a remarkable stat that speaks to his durability and longevity. Hernandez is off to a strong start this season, as he is 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA in his first four starts. Jeff Karstens will oppose Hernandez for the Pirates. Karstens is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA this year in four appearances, one of which was a start.
The Nationals will keep the same lineup for this game as they would have played on Friday. Here it is:
Nationals
1. Danny Espinosa, 2B
2. Rick Ankiel, CF
3. Jayson Werth, RF
4. Adam LaRoche, 1B
5. Wilson Ramos, C
6. Michael Morse, LF
7. Ian Desmond, SS
8. Jerry Hairston, 3B
9. Livan Hernandez, SP
Pirates
1. Andrew McCutcheon, CF
2. Jose Tabata, LF
3. Lyle Overbay, 1B
4. Neil Walker, 2B
5. Garrett Jones, RF
6. Ryan Doumit, C
7. Pedro Alvarez, 3B
8. Ronny Cedeno, SS
9. Jeff Karstens, SP