Lombardozzi starts tonight for Espinosa, Wang to pitch simulated game
Nats’ No. 1 Steven Strasburg (1-0, 0.69 ERA) gets the start tonight against Astros No. 5, right-hander Kyle Weiland (0-1, 7.20 ERA). This is the seventh career start for Weiland, a Notre Dame product who is still seeking his first major league victory. He served up two home runs against Atlanta in his one start this year.
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The Nats will rest second baseman Danny Espinosa on Monday. The second-year man is off to a slow start, hitting .194 with two RBI. Steve Lombardozzi, also a switch-hitter, gets his second start this season. He went 1-for-3 in his first start against the Mets and it hitting .286 in seven at-bats. He will take Espinosa’s place in the order, batting second.
A month after suffering a hamstring strain in spring training, Chien-Ming Wang will take the mound in Viera to pitch a simulated game on Wednesday, manager Davey Johnson said. The often-injured, 32-year-old right-hander had made two solid appearances in the spring, fanning six in 4 2/3 innings before he was hurt.
Former Nat outfielder Justin Maxwell makes his return to Nationals Park tonight. He is not in the starting lineup. He has a home run in four plate appearances, all as a pinch-hitter. He was claimed off wavers after hitting .310 with 11 RBI in 27 games for the Yankess this spring. The former baseball and basketball standout at Sherwood High in Olney spent all last year at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .260 with 16 home runs.
