Spring games begin Sunday

The Miami Marlins begin their 24-game Grapefruit League schedule on Sunday when they play the Houston Astros at 1:05 p.m. at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

Here’s what to expect:

WHO WILL THE MARLINS PLAY?

The Marlins are playing six games each against the St. Louis Cardinals, Astros, Washington Nationals and New York Mets. The games will come across six cycles with four consecutive games before an off-day.

SHORTER GAMES EARLY

The Marlins’ first three games of spring training — Sunday against the Astros, Monday against the Mets and Tuesday against the Cardinals — will be seveninning contests. Miami anticipates the remaining 21 games to be full nineinning affairs.

Spring training games played through March 13 can be shortened to as few as five innings, if the teams’ general managers agree to do so beforehand.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said the reasoning to shorten the first three games to seven innings was to protect pitchers.

WHO’S PITCHING?

Daniel Castano and Nick Neidert will be the first two pitchers on Sunday, each throwing two innings. Sandy Alcantara is scheduled to start on Monday. Pablo Lopez is set to start Tuesday.

WHAT ARE THE

LINEUP PLANS?

Mattingly said early on he plans on starting guys every other day, then progressing to two straight games and one day off. There will be a lot of mixing and matching early before starting to put lineups together that will replicate what can be expected

for the regular season.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

With the Marlins’ expected TV deal with Fox Sports Florida still not announced, there are no plans for Marlins games to be televised on the network.

Live streams, however, will be available for MLB TV subscribers for seven Marlins games: Tuesday against the Cardinals, March 7 against the Mets in Port St. Lucie, March 12 against the Mets in Port St. Lucie, March 18 against the Cardinals in Jupiter, March 22 against the Cardinals in Jupiter, March 23 against the Mets in Port St. Luice and March 27 against the Cardinals in Jupiter.

With the exception of the three games against the Mets played in Port St. Lucie — March 7, 12 and 23 — all Marlins spring training games will have a radio broadcast through either AM-940 WINZ or MLB.com