Good morning, Washington Nationals fans.

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, June 11.

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Welcome to the Morning Briefing! The Nationals head to Detroit. Let’s talk about it.

Leading this Morning's Briefing: Nats head to Detroit in pursuit of .500

The Nationals had the day off yesterday as they head to Detroit for a single series road trip. Two dominant starters have powered the Tigers to their current record. Thankfully for the Nationals, they avoid both on this road trip.

The Tigers’ offense has been below average so far, with their best hitter, Kerry Carpenter, on the injured list. The top of the order has been good, with Riley Greene and Matt Vierling being the top two hitters, followed closely by Mark Canha and Wenceel Pérez.

The problem has been that at the bottom of their order, with Colt Keith, Javier Báez, and Gio Urshela have been among the worst hitters in the league so far this season.

In game one, Mitchell Parker (4-3, 3.47 ERA) will face RHP Kenta Maeda (2-2, 6.25 ERA). First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. ET and will be televised on MASN2.

Game two, Jake Irvin (4-5, 3.12 ERA) will face RHP Reese Olson (1-7, 3.43 ERA). First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. ET and will be televised on MASN2.

MacKenzie Gore (5-5, 3.57 ERA) will take the mound in the series finale against former top prospect RHP Casey Mize (1-4, 4.73 ERA). First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. ET and will be televised on MASN2, or MLB Network for you out-of-market folks.

Down in the Minors

Everyone had the day off yesterday with each team having a series start today.

The Rochester Red Wings host the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

The Harrisburg Senators host the Bowie Baysox.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks are at the Jersey Shore BlueClaws.

The Fredericksburg Nationals are at the Carolina Mudcats.

Featured Story of the Day

June: A Pivotal Month for the Washington Nationals

Richard • Jun 11, 2024

The next handful of games that the Nationals will be playing are against struggling teams or teams that have losing records or are close to them, and the Nationals need to capitalize on that. The Nationals are in a crowded field for the last Wild Card spot and only 1.5 games out entering tonight’s game.

Read full story →

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