Patrick Corbin is starting tonight. So far this season, the left-hander has a 3.56 ERA and a .214/.287/.350 line against with Nationals’ catcher Riley Adams behind the plate, over five games and 30 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched. Manager Davey Martinez has talked often over the last few weeks about how much he’s liked the way they’ve worked together, and how Corbin’s looked when working with the big backstop.

In three starts and 8 ¹⁄₃ IP with No. 1 catcher Keibert Ruiz behind the plate, Corbin has put up a 16.20 ERA (15 ER on 21 hits) and a .477/.566/.682 line against.

So, when Adams started last night’s game, working with Erick Fedde, Martinez was asked if that meant Ruiz, (who was penciled in for each of Washington’s three games with the Miami Marlins in loanDepot park, and is 15 for 43 (.349/.462/.512) with four doubles, a homer, eight walks, and four Ks in 12 games and 52 plate appearances this month), would get the start in tonight’s game, working with Corbin for the first time since April 22nd (when the lefty got lit up for seven hits, three walks, and seven earned runs in 1 ²⁄₃ IP)?

“I haven’t decided what we’ll do tomorrow, but I gave Keibert — in case we do let him catch Corbin, he’s been catching the ball really well, and I talked about this a lot Wednesday with him, but they’ve both been doing well, they’ve both been handling the pitching staff well, so it’s more about getting Riley back in there because he has swung the bat a lot better, and I want to keep him going, as for Keibert as well, they’re both been doing well.”

In five games played since April 30th, Adams has a five-game hit streak, going 5 for 16 in that stretch, for a .313/.353/.500 line with a home run, a walk, and four Ks in 17 PAs. He’s put in a lot of work on the offensive end, his manager said, and it’s paying off.

“He’s worked with [Hitting Coach] Darnell [Coles] a lot on raising his hands up, getting ready early, and getting some extension on his swing, and like I said, we watched him take BP, he’s making strides, and during the games it’s actually — it’s coming to fruition for him, so it’s kind of nice. I mean, he’s attacking the baseball, he’s hitting the ball really hard, so it’s good to see and I want to keep both of them guys going.”

So who’s getting the start tonight? Let’s look...

HERE’S THE NATIONALS’ LINEUP FOR TONIGHT’S GAME: