Series Preview: Nationals v. Cubs, May 25 – May 27, 2015

montreal expos logoThe Cubs head back to Wrigley to take on the Nationals, who are long over their early-season losing ways.

We’re Going Streaking

The Cubs dropped the series finale in Arizona to come back from their West Coast swing with a mere 3-3 split. That Diamondbacks series was a real kick in the the grapes, with each loss by just one run, and completely winnable. C’est la baseball. The Cubs fell back to 3.5 games behind the Cardinals.

The Nationals have won 19 of 24 and are insanely hot, as you would expect from probably the best team in baseball. Despite that, at 26-18 overall, they’re actually just 1.5 games better than the Cubs.

Game Times and Broadcasts

  • Monday, May 25 at 1:20 CT on WGN-9.
  • Tuesday, May 26 at 6:05 CT on CSN, ESPN.
  • Wednesday, May 27 at 7:05 CT on CSN+, MLBN.
  • And, if you’re not in the blackout region, you can always watch on MLB.tv.

    Expected Starters and Lineups

    These lineups are likely to be pretty close to what actually gets fielded, but you’ll want to check each day’s Pre-Gamin’ post for the actual lineup.

    Cubs

    Starters: Tsuyoshi Wada (3.86 ERA, 3.34 FIP; 9.00 K/BB), Kyle Hendricks (4.14 ERA, 3.44 FIP; 4.14 K/BB), Jon Lester (3.56 ERA, 3.56 FIP; 3.40 K/BB)

    Lineup:

    1. Dexter Fowler, CF
    2. Kris Bryant, 3B
    3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
    4. Starlin Castro, SS
    5. Miguel Montero, C
    6. Jorge Soler, RF
    7. Chris Coghlan, LF
    8. Pitcher
    9. Addison Russell, 2B

    Nationals

    Starters: Tanner Roark (2.66 ERA, 4.46 FIP; 1.40 K/BB), Jordan Zimmermann (3.52 ERA, 3.00 FIP; 3.27 K/BB), Max Scherzer (1.67 ERA, 2.02 FIP; 8.00 K/BB)

    Lineup:

    1. Denard Span, CF
    2. Ian Desmond, SS
    3. Yunel Escobar, 3B
    4. Bryce Harper, RF
    5. Ryan Zimmerman, 1B
    6. Jose Lobaton/Wilson Ramos, C
    7. Dan Uggla/Danny Espinosa, 2B
    8. Michael Taylor, LF
    9. Pitcher

    Hot or Not and Whom to Watch

    Due to today’s travels, this section is getting short shrift – sorry.

    The Cubs don’t really get much of a break in the Nationals’ rotation, having to face both Zimmermann and Scherzer in this one. Get ready for the Lester/Scherzer storylines on Wednesday.

    Since May 6, Jorge Soler is hitting .300/.364/.429 with a 114 wRC+ (27.3% K rate). Since I know even more power is coming, I’m pretty thrilled with that line.

    Bryce Harper is hitting .333/.471/.728, is currently the best, most dangerous hitter in baseball, and can do incredible things. Don’t let him Goldschmidt you, Cubs.

    written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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