The Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates spent the weekend battling each other to each take one game of a three-game series, with the rubber match taking place at 7:05 P.M. EST Monday night. Monday was supposed to be a scheduled off day for both teams, but a cancellation due to rain on April 22 forced the teams to have to work Monday to make up for it.
If the Nationals wanted to leave Pittsburgh on a winning note, then they couldn't have drawn better than facing Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Maholm (0-3, 4.30 ERA) in the final game. Maholm is 0-4 with a 6.28 ERA against the Nationals in his career, and the Nats are 6-1 in games where Maholm has started. They also own a 5-0 record against him at PNC Park. Second baseman Danny Espinosa is celebrating his 24th birthday Monday night and hopes to add on a couple more RBIs to his team-leading 15 already.
The Nationals will be sending out a lefty of their own in a fully recharged John Lannan (2-1, 3.43 ERA), who is coming off a big win in St. Louis on April 20. Lannan went five-innings, giving up seven hits and two runs while striking out two, and will be looking to fine tune his performance. In the game against the St. Louis Cardinals, he walked three and gave up two home runs, but minimized the damage to get the victory. Monday also marks Lannan's 100th career start.
Nationals Line-Up
Danny Espinosa - 2B
Ian Desmond - SS
Jayson Werth - RF
Adam LaRoche - 1B
Michael Morse - LF
Wilson Ramos - C
Jerry Hairston Jr. - CF
Brian Bixler - 3B
John Lannan - SP