RFK StadiumMonday, July 16, 6:05 p.m. CDT – FSN
Tuesday, July 17, 6:05 p.m. CDT – FSN
Wednesday, July 18, 12:05 p.m. CDT – FSN
This series isn't the ass-end of the National League, but you can smell it from here. Of the four worst teams in the NL, two are in this series. (The other two are the Giants and Reds.) The starters in this series have 71 appearances this season, but just 15 wins. And six of those came from Chris Sampson.
But this is no ordinary suck-fest we have scheduled. Oh no. Because look at what's resurfacing from the Astros' hazy past, like a lingering taste from a Juarez whorehouse ... it's that crazy-ass ex-girlfriend you thought you'd never have to face again ... it's ... Tim Redding!
Alright, now that's what I'm talking about. That's what this shitty season needed ... some Tim Redding, baby! Think of all the times we've seen Redding on the hill, and all the stress and gut-wrenching and throwing shit at the TV. But he's never faced the Astros, as far as I can tell. Finally, we get to see that awful goatee from the other side ...
Yeah, I have a real bad feeling about this.
Notable promotions this series ...
Monday night is Gay Night at RFK (actually it's called Night OUT III), with a special appearance by the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington to sing the national anthem. An honoree from the Washington LGBT community will throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and will then apologize to his constituents and go into rehab.
There are no official giveaways on Tuesday, though Congress will be on hand to issue free subpoenas to every blonde girl.
Wednesday will be Camp Day, when kids from summer camps all over Washington can come to the ballpark and clean up all the streamers and confetti left over from Gay Night, and also sweep up any subpoenas that were ignored.
Projected Matchups from Astros.comMondayWoody Williams (4-10, 5.34) v. Mike Bacsik (2-6, 5.20)
In a fitting tribute to Gay Night, the Astros will begin the series sporting a Woody.
Williams has had quality starts in his last three outings, though he only won one of them. He's 2-2 against the Nationals. Washington's best hitter against Woody is D'Angelo Jimenez, who's 10-for-20 with two doubles, three homers, and eight RBI. Ronnie Belliard is 7-for-15 with three homers.
Bacsik is a lefty who's pitched two innings against the Astros but has no record. He's made 10 starts for the gNats this year, and he made three starts for the Rangers in 2004. He also made 12 appearances for the steM in 2002-03. In his last outing he gave up six runs in five innings to the Brewers. The only Astro with an AB against him is Lance Berkman, who is 0-for-1.
TuesdayChris Sampson (6-6, 4.25) v. Tim Redding (1-1, 4.09)
Sampson hasn't won since June 8, and lost his last start against the Phillies. He's never faced the Nationals, though Austin Kearns is 1-for-2 against him with an RBI, and Felipe Lopez is 1-for-3.
TIMMAH! Redding has resurfaced and has started twice for the Nationals. He took a loss against the Cubs and got a W against Milwaukee. And he hasn't given up any homers, if you can believe that. After being traded to the Padres in March 2005 for Humberto Quintero, Redding made nine appearances for San Diego and one for the Yankees. He played in the White Sox minor league system last year.
A few Astros have faced him before: Lamb and Loretta are both 1-for-3, and Palmeiro is 1-for-7.
WednesdayJason Jennings (1-5, 4.15) v. Jason Bergmann (1-5, 4.32)
Jennings is 2-3 against the Nationals. He lost his last outing against the Cubs, though the defense contributed four boots to the effort. Current gNats are 38-for-102 against him for a .373 average. Dmitri Young is 6-for-12 against him with one homer, and D'Angelo Jimenez is 6-for-10 with two doubles.
Bergmann has never faced the Astros. His only win came in May, though he's also spent some time on the DL this season. Lance Berkman is the only Astro with a hit off him, and it was a homer.
Injury ReportHouston – Adam Everett is still mending and might be back sometime in August.
Washington – Jesus Colome is on the DL with an infected ass-cheek. Relievers Micah Bowie and Ryan Wagner are also on the DL, along with starters Shawn Hill and John Patterson. Christian Guzman and Nick Johnson are also injured, and Alex Escobar is on a rehab assignment.
Our Interesting Things To Look For- There must have been some catastrophic scheduling error that allowed Gay Night during the Astros series. Everyone knows you wait until the Mets are in town.
- Though I did notice that the Rukkakes are up next, and the Nationals wisely scheduled Ladies Night for that series.
- There was a contest in the Washington gay community to select Monday's Ceremonial Pitcher. Amazingly, the exact same number of people also applied to be Ceremonial Catcher. The catcher better be on his toes tonight, because you just know this pitcher will try to bury one in the dirt.
Discuss today's game in the
GameZone.
