Zimmerman, Desmond return as G. Gonzalez guns for 19th win

The Nationals have Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond back in the lineup after both infielders sat out Sunday's 8-0 loss to the Marlins. Manager Davey Johnson has planned to give Zimmerman Sunday off and Desmond asked for a bit of a breather to rest his sore hamstring. The Nats will have both their third baseman and shortstop on the field tonight when they open a three-game set with the Mets. Gio Gonzalez will take the mound for the Nats, shooting for his 19th win of the season. Should he get it, he'd be the first pitcher in the majors this season to reach the 19-win mark. Gonzalez is coming into tonight's contest on fire; he's thrown 16 straight scoreless innings, has won five of his last six starts and has a 1.87 ERA over those six outings. The left-hander has beaten the Mets in two of his three starts against them this season. The Nationals will square off against 25-year-old Mets rookie right-hander Collin McHugh, who has made just two career major league starts. McHugh opened his big league career by pitching seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts against the Rockies, but he went just four innings against the Cardinals his last time out, allowing four runs. For the Nats: RF Jayson Werth CF Bryce Harper 3B Ryan Zimmerman 1B Adam LaRoche LF Michael Morse SS Ian Desmond 2B Danny Espinosa C Kurt Suzuki P Gio Gonzalez For the Mets: SS Ruben Tejada 2B Ronny Cedeno 3B David Wright RF Scott Hairston 1B Ike Davis C Kelly Shoppach LF Jason Bay CF Andres Torres P Collin McHugh