The pitching matchup is the story whether you want it to be or not. Woods Richardson is winless through six starts with a 6.49 ERA and a strikeout rate that's cratered to under 4.5 per 9 — the underlying numbers say there's no obvious fix coming. Irvin isn't exactly a stopper either: he won his season opener and has gone 0-4 since, sitting at 4.93. Over 9 runs as the total feels almost polite.
Washington opens as a slim favorite, which tracks given home field, the momentum from Wednesday's blowout, and the fact that the Twins are 16-21 and visibly leaking oil. The line moving differently between Pinnacle and DK on both the spread and total is worth a look before you fire — there's a half-run gap on each.
- Day-To-DayWalker Jenkins (CF) — Jenkins was diagnosed Monday with a Grade 2 AC joint sprain in his left shoulder and will be re-evaluated in 10 days, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.05/05
- Day-To-DayJulian Merryweather (RP) — Merryweather (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with the Twins' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Tuesday, Theodore Tollefson of ZoneCoverage.com reports.05/05
- Day-To-DayMatt Canterino (SP) — Canterino (shoulder) will be with the Twins in big-league spring training but isn't expected to pitch during camp as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.05/01
- Day-To-DayCory Lewis (SP) — Twins head trainer Nick Paparesta said Thursday that Lewis (shoulder) is still a couple weeks away from throwing off a mound, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.03/31
- 15-Day-ILCole Sands (RP) — The Twins placed Sands on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right forearm strain, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.05/02
- 15-Day-ILGarrett Acton (RP) — The Twins placed Acton on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right shoulder strain, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.04/28
- 15-Day-ILMick Abel (SP) — Twins manager Derek Shelton said Monday that Abel (elbow) has resumed playing catch and "all signs have been encouraging," Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.04/27
- 15-Day-ILCody Laweryson (RP) — The Twins will place Laweryson on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right forearm strain, Audra Martin of FanDuel Sports Network North reports.04/11
- 60-Day-ILDavid Festa (SP) — Festa (shoulder) is about two weeks from beginning to pitch off a mound, Twins General Manager Jeremy Zoll told the Minnesota Star Tribune.04/04
- 60-Day-ILPablo Lopez (SP) — The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.02/26
- Day-To-DayLuis Garcia Jr. (1B) — Garcia (wrist/hand) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins.05/06
- Day-To-DayTyler Baum (DH)
- Day-To-DayJarlin Susana (RP) — Susana underwent surgery last week to repair a right lat tear, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.04/08
- 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.04/08
- 15-Day-ILMax Kranick (RP) — The Nationals signed Kranick (elbow) to a one-year, $800,000 contract Tuesday and placed him on the 15-day injured list.05/06
- 15-Day-ILClayton Beeter (RP) — Beeter (forearm) has been cleared to resume throwing off the mound, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.05/05
- 15-Day-ILCole Henry (RP) — Henry (shoulder) played catch Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.04/18
- OutJoan Adon (RP) — no12/09
- OutTyler Stuart (SP) — Stuart underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this week, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.11/19
- 60-Day-ILJosiah Gray (SP) — Gray (elbow) has resumed a throwing program, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.05/05
- 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk (RP) — The Nationals transferred Waldichuk (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.04/16
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams (SP) — Williams (elbow) began pitching off a mound at the Nationals' spring training complex this weekend, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.04/13
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz (SP) — Herz (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.03/13
The injury sheets matter here. Minnesota is still without Pablo Lopez, Walker Jenkins is day-to-day with a Grade 2 AC sprain, and the bullpen is held together with rehab assignments. Washington gets a partial reprieve — Luis Garcia Jr. is out again with the wrist, but he's avoiding the IL, with Curtis Mead picking up first-base reps against righties.
Bottom line: two pitchers nobody is excited to roster, a Twins lineup that just got humiliated, and a Nats team that finally found its bats. If Minnesota doesn't punch first, this thing could get ugly fast — and given who's on the mound, it might get ugly anyway.