Werth to DH, McLouth in right, Frandsen in left

HOUSTON - It seems a bit weird, but the Astros are an American League team now, which means the Nationals get to utilize the designated hitter during this brief two-game set in Houston. Tonight, the Nats' DH will be Jayson Werth. Manager Matt Williams will have Nate McLouth play right field tonight, and Kevin Frandsen will play left, replacing Bryce Harper, who will be out for around two months after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb today. Harper tweeted out this picture of himself from a hospital bed earlier, saying that his procedure went well. Frandsen, Denard Span, Tyler Moore and Steven Souza Jr. were out on the field a bit ago practicing getting reads on fly balls and line drives around the unique outfield walls here at Minute Maid Park. For those who are unaware, there's even a hill in play in center field here, so Span and Souza were getting used to fielding balls off the hill, balls hit with a fungo bat by outfield instructor Tony Tarasco. For the Nats CF Denard Span 3B Anthony Rendon DH Jayson Werth 1B Adam LaRoche SS Ian Desmond 2B Danny Espinosa RF Nate McLouth LF Kevin Frandsen C Jose Lobaton LHP Gio Gonzalez For the Astros: 2B Jose Altuve CF Dexter Fowler C Jason Castro RF George Springer 1B Jesus Guzman DH Chris Carter LF L.J. Hoes 3B Matt Dominguez SS Jonathan Villar RHP Jarred Cosart