Nationals Vs. Cubs: Gio Gonzalez Debuts As Washington Faces Chicago

The Washington Nationals, fresh off a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs in each team's season opener on Thursday, will unveil new lefty Gio Gonzalez on Saturday when the two teams square off again at Wrigley Field.

The Nationals traded four prospects to the Oakland Athletics in December to obtain the young lefthander, who went 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA and 197 strikeouts last season for the A's. The Nationals promptly signed Gonzalez to a five-year, $42 million extension in January.

Matt Garza will take the hill for the Cubs. In three career starts against Washington, Garza is 0-1 with a 7.90 ERA. After struggling in his transition to the National League last season from the Tampa Bay Rays, Garza finished strong, going 4-0 in his last six games to finish the year 10-10 with a 3.32 ERA.

Saturday's Washington lineup, via the team's official twitter feed:

Davey's lineup - Game 2 at CHI: Desmond ss, Espinosa 2b, Zimmerman 3b, LaRoche 1b, Werth rf, DeRosa lf, Bernadina cf, Ramos c, Gonzalez lhp

— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) April 7, 2012

For more on the two teams, head over to Washington Nationals blog Federal Baseball and Chicago Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue. For all your MLB news and nuggets, be sure to visit SB Nation's major league baseball hub.