Starting lineups: Nats vs. Astros in Kissimmee

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Hello everybody, and a pleasant good morning to you from central Florida. Glad to be back down here - after a short break - for the duration of the spring. Thanks to Pete Kerzel for holding down the fort in my absence.

When last we spoke, the Nationals were only 2 1/2 weeks into camp, having played only four Grapefruit League games. Since then, they have begun to trim their roster, stretch out their starting pitchers and worked everyone into the lineup (including guys like Ryan Zimmerman and Wilson Ramos, whose game debuts were delayed a bit).

We're fully into the grind of spring training now, still too early for hard decisions to be made but not too late to start making some serious evaluations. Manager Dusty Baker and company will continue that process today when the Nats face the Astros in the second half of a home-and-home series that began with a 1-1 tie yesterday in Viera.

Gio Gonzalez takes the mound for his third start of the spring. The left-hander will be aiming for four innings, focused on improved efficiency after he walked four in his last outing. He'll have a few regulars behind him, including Danny Espinosa at shortstop, Michael A. Taylor in center field and Daniel Murphy at first base. Yes, Murphy is at first base for the first time this spring. He has plenty of experience there (171 of his 797 career starts) and though the Nationals certainly hope not to need him at first base often, he does provide a left-handed replacement option should Zimmerman need a day off or injure himself.

One of several things to keep an eye on today and throughout the rest of camp. Happy to be back here chronicling it for you...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MLB Network (Astros broadcast in D.C./Baltimore markets)
Radio: XM 177, MLB.com (Astros broadcast)
Weather: Sunny, 83 degrees, wind 9 mph out to center field

NATIONALS
SS Danny Espinosa
1B Daniel Murphy
DH Jayson Werth
CF Michael A. Taylor
RF Matt den Dekker
3B Stephen Drew
2B Scott Sizemore
C Pedro Severino
LF Tony Campana

LHP Gio Gonzalez

ASTROS
RF George Springer
SS Alex Bregman
2B Marwin Gonzalez
CF Carlos Gomez
3B Luis Valbuena
1B Matt Duffy
DH Tyler White
C Jason Castro
LF Eury Perez

RHP Collin McHugh