Nationals at Red Sox
The Washington Nationals were supposed to have the best starting pitching in baseball while the rebuilt Boston Red Sox rotation was a question mark coming into the season. The situation was reversed in the series opener and the Nationals will try to regain the upper hand when they visit the Red Sox for the second of a three-game series on Tuesday.
Jordan Zimmermann, who was one of several high-profile starting pitchers to have his name bandied about by the local media as a potential trade target for the Red Sox over the winter, was ripped by the Boston offense as Washington dropped the opener 9-4 on Monday. Mookie Betts, who was always the prospect at the top of those winter trade rumors heading out of town, showed why Red Sox management refused to part with him by robbing Bryce Harper of a home run in the first inning before clubbing a three-run shot off Zimmermann and finishing with two stolen bases and four RBIs. Betts and fellow 22-year-old Xander Bogaerts (13-of-30) are carrying the Boston lineup in the early going. The Nationals have yet to score more than four runs in a game and have dropped four of five.
TV: 6:10 p.m. ET, MASN (Washington), NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (0-1, 5.06 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Justin Masterson (1-0, 3.00)
Strasburg could not get into a good rhythm in his first start Thursday against the New York Mets and ended up allowing six runs – three earned – on nine hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings. All nine hits the former San Diego State star allowed were singles, and a key error and hit-by-pitch did not do him any favors in that turn. Strasburg got the win in his lone previous start against Boston and is 7-3 with a 2.28 ERA in 12 career interleague starts.
Masterson made a strong debut in his return to the Red Sox at Philadelphia last week, yielding two runs and three hits in six innings to pick up a win. The fellow San Diego State product worked with diminished velocity, topping out in the low 90s with his fastball, but still had enough movement on his sinker to generate ground balls and notch seven strikeouts. Masterson started against Washington as a member of the Cleveland Indians on June 14, 2013 and struck out 10 while allowing one run and two hits in seven innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Nationals rookie CF Michael Taylor is 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts over the last three games.
2. Boston activated RHP Koji Uehara (hamstring) from the 15-day DL on Monday and optioned LHP Tommy Layne to the minors.
3. Washington SS Ian Desmond has committed five errors in seven games.