WASHINGTON -- They have strong coffee in the press box here at Nationals Park. God bless America.
Below you'll find lineups for Tuesday morning's game, which begins at 11:05 a.m. here in the District. (That's 8:05 a.m. to everyone in San Francisco who isn't enjoying the view of the inside of their eyelids right now.)
Mark DeRosa, former World Series champion, is in the Nationals lineup.
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The Giants are wearing special Fourth of July caps featuring a camouflage logo that seems more appropriate for Memorial or Veteran's day, if you ask me. But whatever. I don't make the rules.
Gregor Blanco gets a start even though he's struggling and played to the end of Tuesday night's dragged-out game. That's because Blanco got three hits in that game ... and Angel Pagan is also struggling. He's a .182 hitter with just two extra-base hits in his last 18 games. Giants manager Bruce Bochy pulled Pagan as part of a double-switch in the fourth Tuesday night.
Bochy plan to do about the leadoff spot, which hasn't been nearly as productive in recent weeks? Will he give Blanco a few days off?
"I'll pick my spots with him," Bochy said. "It's fair to say Angel is searching. And Blanco, even though he hasn't been getting hits, he's been making good contact. He just hasn't gotten luck to go along with it."
San Francisco Giants
I mentioned to Bochy that the league might be adjusting to Blanco, who had a .401 OBP through the end of May with 22 walks in 137 plate appearances. Since then, he's got seven walks in 131 plate appearances and the OBP is .279 over that span.
"Sure, that's the game plan," Bochy said. "Make him hit his way on."
It's a game of adjustments. Even when it begins at an insanely early hour.
Oh, and thanks for that pitching change with two outs in the ninth inning of a 9-3 game last night, Davey Johnson.
CF Blanco
2B Burriss
LF Cabrera
C Posey
3B Sandoval
1B Belt
RF Schierholtz
SS Crawford
P Madison Bumgarner
2B Espinosa
CF Harper
3B Zimmerman
LF Morse
SS Desmond
1B Moore
RF DeRosa
C Solano
P Edwin Jackson