Heyward’s return to boost Cubs further vs. Nats?
Through 27 extraordinary games, the Cubs have vanquished virtually every hurler bold enough to get in their path. Will the same fate befall a former Cy Young winner this afternoon?
Washington’s Max Scherzer, coming off his best start of the season, aims to prevent Chicago from taking a fifth straight contest. The two beasts of the National League duel at 2:20 p.m. ET, with oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI leaning toward Joe Maddon’s club. Dusty Baker’s group, on the other hand, enters as a -103 underdog.
In Thursday’s series opener, Ben Zobrist’s two-run homer in the eighth gave the Cubbies a 5-2 lead they would not relinquish. Jon Lester followed in the footsteps of Jake Arrieta and set the tone on the mound. In several hours, that baton shifts to John Lackey (3-1, 4.32 ERA). The veteran righty had his longest outing as a member of the squad over the weekend, yielding three runs and three hits in eight innings of a 4-3 defeat to Atlanta.
His competition here promises to be considerably stiffer. Scherzer (3-1, 3.55) fanned nine and permitted four base knocks in a dominant display against the Cardinals a few nights ago. More impressively, he didn’t issue a free pass for the first time in six appearances.
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We’ll see if right fielder Jason Heyward (wrist) returns to the Chicago lineup after missing the previous three tilts. Either way, the home team promises should experience further trouble with Scherzer. The Missouri native boasts a 1.42 ERA in three career turns at Wrigley Field. Anticipate a comparable degree of mastery today.
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