Nationals at Reds
The Washington Nationals never really got a chance to see what kind of impact Adam Eaton could make at the top of their lineup, losing him to a torn ACL in the first month last year. Eaton appears to be bent on making up for lost time as he looks to continue his fast start to 2018 and help the visiting Nationals go for a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.
Acquired for three top pitching prospects in December 2016, Eaton enjoyed a career day in Saturday's 13-7 win, going 5-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, three RBIs and four runs scored. Matt Adams, a longtime nemesis for the Reds, continued to torment them with a three-run home to ignite the offensive barrage, giving him 17 blasts and 43 RBIs in 68 games versus Cincinnati. After being shut out on Opening Day, the Reds got untracked offensively Saturday, as Adam Duvall and Eugenio Suarez swatted two-run homers while Scott Schebler added a solo shot. Scooter Gennett collected two more hits Saturday and is 6-for-9 for Cincinnati, which sends right-hander Sal Romano to the mound to face veteran lefty Gio Gonzalez in the series finale.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, MASN 2 (Washington), FS Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals LH Gio Gonzalez (2017: 15-9, 2.96 ERA) vs. Reds RH Sal Romano (2017: 5-8, 4.45)
Gonzalez is coming off one of the better seasons of his career, reaching double digits in victories for the eighth consecutive year while posting his second-lowest ERA. The 32-year-old won 11 times away from home last season and turned in a dominant performance at Cincinnati on July 14, limiting the Reds to four hits over 8 1/3 scoreless innings. Joey Votto has been a nemesis, going 8-for-21 with three homers.
Romano had an up-and-down rookie campaign but showed improvement down the stretch by allowing a combined nine runs during a span of six starts from mid-August to mid-September. Despite pitching half of his games in homer-happy Great American Ball Park, the 24-year-old New York native permitted only nine homers in 16 starts overall. He has never faced Washington, although Matt Adams has a homer in three at-bats off Romano.
WALK-OFFS
1. Adams, in his first season with the Nationals, has 11 homers and 25 RBIs in 104 at-bats at Great American.
2. Duvall and Schebler hit 31 and 30 homers, respectively, in 2017.
3. Washington has won 11 of its last 13 meetings against the Reds.