Game 61 lineups: Nats vs. Rangers

If the Nationals want to square their weekend interleague series with the Rangers - and give themselves a chance to win the three-game set after dropping Friday night's opener - they'll need left-hander Gio Gonzalez to do the heavy lifting.

Gonzalez (5-1, 3.03 ERA) is enjoying a renaissance season, but he's fallen off a bit after a stellar April that saw him work at least six innings in all five of his starts and post a 3-0 record with a 1.62 ERA. When the calendar flipped to April, Gonzalez missed hitting the six-inning mark in four of his next six outings, though he's thrown 6 1/3 and six innings in his last two starts, back-to-back victories after going 0-1 in his previous five outings.

Because he spent the first four years of his career pitching for the A's in the American League, Gonzalez has some history with the Rangers. He's 4-2 with a 2.55 ERA against them in 10 games (eight starts).

Surprisingly, the current Rangers own a cumulative .354/.420/.544 slash line against him over 79 at-bats with six doubles and three home runs. The guy who's done the most damage against Gonzalez, third baseman Adrian Beltre, is in the starting lineup today while dealing with a severe left ankle sprain. Beltre owns a lifetime 8-for-19 (.421) slate with three homers and eight RBIs off Gonzalez.

Gonzalez will be opposed by left-hander Martín Pérez (2-6, 4.64 ERA), who has had an up-and-down 12 starts this season. After logging at least six innings in a stretch of five of six starts from April 24 to May 24, Pérez has pitched five innings and 3 2/3 innings in his last two outings. He's allowed 10 runs on 16 hits and four home runs in his last two starts.

Only three members of the Nationals have ever faced Pérez. Matt Wieters is 3-for-6, Ryan Raburn is 2-for-4 and Stephen Drew is 1-for-3. Wieters and Drew each have a double against the southpaw, who has never before faced the Nationals.

TEXAS RANGERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: Noon EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (out of market only), WUSA-TV Channel 9
Radio: 106.7 FM, Sirius 214 (Internet 689)
Weather: Sunny, 84 degrees, wind 6 mph from left field

NATIONALS (38-22)
SS Trea Turner
RF Bryce Harper
2B Daniel Murphy
3B Anthony Rendon
1B Adam Lind
CF Michael A. Taylor
LF Ryan Raburn
C Jose Lobaton
LHP Gio Gonzalez

RANGERS (28-32)
CF Delino DeShields
RF Shin-Soo Choo
SS Elvis Andrus
3B Adrian Beltre
LF Nomar Mazara
C Robinson Chirinos
2B Rougned Odor
1B Ryan Rua
LHP Martín Pérez