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Cubs face Nats on Wednesday
By: Staff Writer - StatFox
Published: 6/28/2017  at  12:27:00 PM
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CHICAGO CUBS (39-38)

at WASHINGTON NATIONALS (46-31)

First pitch: Wednesday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Line: Chicago +155, Washington -165, Total: 8.5

The Nationals will be going for a second straight win over the Cubs on Wednesday.

Chicago has not been able to consistently put together wins this season, and that has not changed recently. The Cubs have alternated wins and losses over the past eight games, and they are going to need to figure out a way to rattle off a nicely sized winning streak soon. It would be unacceptable for Chicago to not win the division after winning the World Series a year ago, and the team definitely has that in mind. The Nationals, meanwhile, are still sitting pretty atop the NL East standings. They prevented a three-game losing streak with their win Tuesday, and they’ll now look to get hot here. The starters in this Wednesday night matchup are set to be RHP John Lackey (5-8, 4.74 ERA, 81 K) for the Cubs and RHP Stephen Strasburg (8-2, 3.57 ERA, 109 K) for the Nationals. While Lackey is no slouch, the Nats have the clear advantage on the hill here. One trend that favors the Cubs in this game is the fact that the Nationals are a lousy 10-13 against the money line in home games after two or more consecutive home games this season. Washington is, however, a ridiculous 31-13 against the money line when the total is 7 to 8.5 this season.

John Lackey has had a terrible season for the Cubs, but he has had two very good starts in a row coming into this one. Lackey has allowed one earned run in two straight games, and he has pitched six innings in each of those contests. If he is able to do that again on Wednesday then Chicago would be more than happy. The only problem is that this Nationals offense is a lot better than the Marlins and Pirates, who are the last two teams that Lackey has gone up against. Offensively, it’s hard to imagine Chicago finding a way to beat Washington without both 3B Kris Bryant (.259 BA, 16 HR, 32 RBI) and 1B Anthony Rizzo (.258 BA, 17 HR, 49 RBI) playing at the top of their games. Bryant was 1-for-3 with a triple and an RBI in Tuesday’s game against the Nats, and he will need to continue to drive in runs moving forward. He has just 32 RBI this season, and he is obviously a guy that should be racking up 100 or so per season. Rizzo, meanwhile, has been good since moving to the leadoff spot for Chicago. The Cubs are just hoping that he can keep it up moving forward.

The Nationals are rolling right now, but they are definitely hoping that Stephen Strasburg can find his footing in Wednesday’s start. The righty has really struggled recently, allowing 13 earned runs in his last 15.1 innings of work. Strasburg has been getting hit very hard, and his stuff just hasn’t been like what it was earlier in the year. If he can start missing bats again on Wednesday then that would be big for Washington. It’ll also allow him to work deeper into games. On offense, it’s worth watching what OF Bryce Harper (.316 BA, 18 HR, 56 RBI) is able to do in this game. He is 0-for-9 against Lackey in his career, and the team can’t afford that trend to continue. The Nationals need their best player to perform at a high level, and he should be able to answer the bell.


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