Neal Augenstein, wtop.com

WASHINGTON — It’s an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox, but the sounds, smells and sights of baseball should be in midseason form at Nationals Park.

Gates open at 12:30 p.m. for a 3:05 p.m. first pitch. It’s the final exhibition before Thursday’s opening game in Chicago, against the Cubs.

Edwin Jackson is on the mound for the Nats.

A sandwich that’s already drawn its share of “oooohs,” and a few boos — the 8-pound cheeseburger dubbed the StrasBurger, debuts at the park.

The Taste of the Majors concession behind section 117 will have new items on its menu.

And, a new field of grass has been installed for the new season.

If you get to the ballpark early, you’ll notice construction pits still line Half Street, between the Navy Yard Metro and the ballpark.

There’s now a sparkling riverwalk along the Anacostia River, called Yards Park, that stretches from just outside the ballpark to the Washington Navy Yard.

The view of the Anacostia also has been improved, now that an old concrete plant has been demolished.

Follow Neal Augenstein and WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)