Wednesday notes…
- REACHING A BENCHMARK: The Cubs are 20 games above .500 for the first time this season, after 120 games. Last year, they reached +20 after 98 games, at 59-39. They fell below +20 several times after that and did not reach it for good until their 160th game, at 90-70. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- AND MORE ON THE BENCHMARK: It took this year’s Cubs 34 games to reach 10 games above .500, at 22-12, on May 3. After a loss on June 10, they were .500, 34-34. It took them 14 games after that to reach +10 again, at 48-38, on June 30. Since then, it took 34 games to reach +20. It took 26 games since the last time they were exactly +10, at 52-42. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- WINNING ON WEDNESDAY: A win tonight will make the Cubs’ record 14-6 on Wednesdays. They finished last season 13-12. They also would improve to 8-3 on Wednesdays on the road. They finished last season 7-6. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- HAPP-ENINGS: Happy birthday to Ian Happ, who turns 32 today. His last three games: 6-for-12 (.500), a double, two home runs, two walks and four runs scored.
The Cubs lineup was not available at posting time. Please check BCB social media for the Cubs lineup.
Nationals lineup:
David Peterson, LHP vs. Jackson Kent, LHP
David Peterson’s last four starts: 1.57 ERA, 1.047 WHIP. He’s struggled a bit at times, the peripherals are a bit concerning, but in the end he is keeping runs off the board.
His last start against the Nats was May 21 in Washington, and he allowed one run in five innings, again with a bit
of traffic on the bases. That sort of start would work tonight.
The Nationals had originally listed Miles Mikolas to start this game, but as you know, he pitched in Tuesday’s contest. He was designated for assignment to make room for tonight’s starter, Jackson Kent, who will be making his MLB debut for the Nats. Kent, the Nats’ fourth-round pick in 2024 out of the University of Arizona, is a Chicago-area native (Lake Park High School in Roselle). He has a 3.72 ERA and 1.124 WHIP this year in 20 starts combined between Double-A and Triple-A, with a good K rate (27.2 percent).
Hope the Cubs have a good scouting report. As Kent has not pitched in the majors there isn’t a pitch chart available, but here’s some info on his game from Baseball Savant.
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Here is the weather forecast for the area around Nationals Park.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network.
Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Nationals site Federal Baseball. If you do go there to interact with Nationals fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
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