Harper returns to Nats lineup, Lombardozzi playing left

After two days out of the Nationals lineup, Bryce Harper is back in there today, playing right field and hitting third. Harper had a minor surgical procedure Thursday night to remove an ingrown toenail on his left big toe, and he missed the Nats' last two games as he recovered from the operation. He returns for the finale of the Nats' three-game series with the Cubs. Steve Lombardozzi will get his first start in the outfield this season. He'll play left field, replacing Tyler Moore, who has been struggling lately. Lombardozzi spent part of batting practice yesterday shagging flies in the outfield under the watchful eye of first base coach and outfield instructor Tony Tarasco, and as I type this, Tarasco is hitting Lombardozzi fly balls, giving the career infielder a bit of a crash course before today's game. Lombardozzi is hitting .245 this season, but strangely, he's been far more productive as a pinch hitter than he has been when he's gotten into the starting lineup. Lombardozzi is hitting .316 (6-for-19) as a sub, compared to .206 (7-for-34) as a starter. The Nats will face Cubs right-hander Scott Feldman today. Feldman is 3-3 with a 2.70 ERA this season and is coming off seven scoreless two-hit innings against the Rangers his last time out. Gio Gonzalez gets the ball for the Nats. He's 3-2 with a 4.97 ERA this season, and bounced back from a rough first inning his last time out to allow just two runs over six innings in a win over the Pirates. For the Nats CF Denard Span LF Steve Lombardozzi RF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond 2B Danny Espinosa C Kurt Suzuki LHP Gio Gonzalez For the Cubs SS Starlin Castro 3B Cody Ransom 1B Anthony Rizzo LF Alfonso Soriano RF Scott Hairston CF Ryan Sweeney C Dioner Navarro 2B Darwin Barney RHP Scott Feldman