Heading into the season, the Nats were supposed to be a young team on the rise pushing towards .500 and the O’s were supposed to be a legitimate contender in the AL. Neither of these things have happened, and now the two teams meet in a crossroads weekend series.
Ace MacKenzie Gore will be on the mound for the Nats as they look to get going after losing 8 of 9. Josh Bell is out of the lineup, meaning James Wood will DH and Alex Call will play left field. Luis Garcia Jr. is back from paternity leave, but he will not be in the lineup tonight.