Once Again, the resilient Chicago Cubs are within a triumph of reaching the National League Championship Series for the third straight year. The opportunity to get that win, however, had to wait until today after yesterday’s rainout of the NLDS Game 4.
After much deliberation, the rainout has become an opportunity for the Nationals to start a rested Stephen Strasburg in Game 4, instead of Tanner Roark, who was supposed to pitch yesterday.
According to Nationals’ manager Dusty Baker Tanner Roark was going to start today because Strasburg was feeling “under the weather,” but after further talks, it’s been confirmed that the ace is recovered and ready to go today.
Strasburg was dominant in his last six starts of the regular season. He finished 5-0 with a .650 ERA, striking out 48 batters.
In game 1 against the Cubs the right-hander allowed only three hits in seven innings, while fanning 10 batters and only walking one.
The Washington Nationals hope Strasburg can repeat that kind of performance because they are within one defeat of being eliminated in the N.L.D.S for the fourth time in the last six years.
With a little bit of luck, the Nationals could have been just a step away from winning their first postseason series. But instead, they must win at Wrigley Field if they want to stay alive and force a deciding fifth game in Washington.
Despite sensational work by Strasburg and Max Scherzer against the Cubs, the Nationals are facing elimination as they trail in the series 2-1 and have to win on the road in a must win game.
The Cubs, for their part, will try to reach the Championship Series for the third year in a row where they would face the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second straight year.
For the Cubs, Puerto Rican starter Jake Arrieta will make his eighth postseason start and try to improve his 3.64 ERA.
Arrieta is 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA since the Cubs acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles in 2013. Arrieta hasn’t been very good against the Nationals, though, with 1-2 record and 5.48 ERA in nine career starts against the Nationals. Arrieta is 4-2 with a 3.64 ERA in seven postseason starts in his career.
Baker pointed out that despite the adverse circumstances his team is prepared to defeat anyone regardless of who’s on the field.
