Lovelady will start Monday's game against San Francisco, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Miles Mikolas was initially slated to start in Monday's series opener. Instead, the Nationals will have Lovelady start on the mound and toss one or two innings before Mikolas takes over in a bulk-relief role. It's the fifth opening assignment of the season for Lovelady, who has a 3.12 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, four saves (in five chances) and a 23:19 K:BB across 26 innings.