Ranger Suárez (3-3, 2.83 ERA) gets the ball for Boston at 7:10 PM ET, and the lefthander is as locked-in as anyone in the rotation right now — 3 earned runs over 18 innings across 3 June starts, including 9 strikeouts in 6 innings against Colorado last week. Miles Mikolas (2-6, 5.24 ERA) counters for Washington, a tough assignment on paper for a 37-year-old who has been far more effective pitching in relief than he has as a starter this season.
That arms mismatch explains why Boston opened as heavy favorites at Fenway. But dismissing the Nationals based on tonight's starter would be a mistake. Washington is 43-42, sitting in the NL Wild Card race, and has gone 24-15 on the road — one of the best road records in the National League all season. This team travels.
The Nationals' lineup has legitimate star power at the top. CJ Abrams is slashing .287/.370/.529 with 17 home runs and 57 RBI, and he's currently the leading vote-getter among NL shortstops for the All-Star Game. James Wood — 23 years old — has the second-best OPS in baseball behind Shohei Ohtani. Then there's Nasim Núñez, who enters Monday riding a 9-game hitting streak while hitting .407 for the month. Mikolas has given up runs this year. These three will find them.
- Day-To-DayJarlin Susana RP — Susana threw from a mound this week for the first time since undergoing lat surgery last September, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayTyler Stuart SP — no
- Day-To-DayTyler Baum DH — Baum has not pitched this year due an undisclosed injury.
- Day-To-DayTravis Sykora SP — Sykora will undergo a UCL reconstruction on his right elbow in two weeks, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
- 15-Day-ILJake Irvin SP — Irvin (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams SP — Williams (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Fredericksburg on Sunday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz SP — Herz (elbow) was diagnosed Monday with a left flexor strain, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMax Kranick RP — Kranick (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Fredericksburg on Sunday, striking out two over 1.2 perfect innings.
- Day-To-DayHobie Harris RP — Harris was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILIsiah Kiner-Falefa 2B — Kiner-Falefa underwent a CT scan on his left forearm Thursday which revealed a stress reaction, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILMarcelo Mayer 2B — The Red Sox placed Mayer on the 10-day injured list Friday with a stress reaction in his left forearm, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
- 10-Day-ILNick Sogard 3B — Sogard (oblique) told reporters Friday that he plans to start swinging a bat Monday, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
- 15-Day-ILJovani Moran RP — Moran (elbow) will make at least one more rehab appearance before being activated, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRoman Anthony LF — The Red Sox transferred Anthony (finger/wrist) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet (shoulder/lat) has not yet been cleared to resume a throwing program following a scheduled re-evaluation Monday, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Story SS — Story (abdomen) has begun jogging and swinging off a tee, MLB.com reports.
Boston's injury situation remains brutal beyond what the sweep obscured. Garrett Crochet (shoulder/lat) has not been cleared to resume a throwing program. Roman Anthony was moved to the 60-day IL Sunday with no timeline on his return and still isn't swinging a bat. Both Marcelo Mayer and Isiah Kiner-Falefa — the top two second-base options — are on the IL with forearm stress reactions. The sweep of the Yankees was a genuinely historic moment and Jarren Duran's walk-off in the 10th inning on Sunday was real. But the roster has real holes. Washington's does too — the Nationals are down multiple starters in their rotation — but their lineup depth makes that a lot more survivable.
Suárez is the argument for Boston, and it's a strong one. But the Nationals have better top-line talent, a legitimate playoff résumé, and a road record that backs up the hype. This game deserves more respect than the moneyline is giving Washington.