The Nationals were the Cubs’ first regular season opponent this year, way back in March. The Nats took two of three at Wrigley Field.
Much has changed for both teams since then. The Cubs have solidified their claim on a postseason spot and could still win a division title. After playing over .500 for quite some time, the Nats had a selloff at the Trade Deadline.
For more on the Nationals, here’s Sam Sallick, manager of our SB Nation Nationals site Federal Baseball.
The Nats are a very different team
to the one that played the Cubs on Opening Day. Only two members of the bullpen remain and many fixtures of the lineup are now gone. Joey Wiemer, who dominated the Cubs to start the season, has now gone, with his rise and fall taking place over the course of six weeks.
However, the Nats remain on the outskirts of the playoff race. These last couple weeks have been a rollercoaster though. After beating the Diamondbacks in a series, they got within one game of a playoff spot and were over .500. Shortly after that, they hit a snag, losing seven in a row and selling at the deadline.
This past weekend though, the Nats got back into the fight by sweeping the Reds. The Nats lost the likes of Luis Garcia Jr., Curtis Mead and Foster Griffin at the deadline. However, a lot of the returns they received were made with the idea of helping the team in the near future.
The Nats bullpen has been a well publicized disaster, but with some new faces, they looked great against the Reds. Yovanny Cruz, Will Dion and Jake Bird all came over in deadline trades and have looked good in a Nats uniform. Nats POBO Paul Toboni has been searching for bullpen answers all season, but this is the best they have looked all year.
Usually, losing the NL leader in slugging would be a huge blow to the offense. However, rookie Abimelec Ortiz has looked very good stepping into Luis Garcia’s shoes. Andres Chaparro has also stepped up making the first base platoon very dangerous.
There is one dangerous name the Cubs will avoid this week. James Wood is on the IL with a mild oblique strain. He is the most fearsome piece in this elite Nats offense. However, this offense is more than just Wood. CJ Abrams has also been tremendous and there are other hot bats such as Daylen Lile and the resurgent Keibert Ruiz.
On the pitching side, you are likely to see the debut of Jackson Kent, the Nats top left handed pitching prospect. He is a funky lefty with an average heater, a great changeup, solid breaking balls and good command. Kent is someone the Nats are very high on.
Right after the deadline, it looked like the Nats might have gone in a tailspin. However, they just got their first sweep since April and are riding high. It will be interesting to see how the surprising Nats matchup with a veteran laden Cubs team.
Fun facts
This is the first time the Cubs will play at Washington immediately after having played at Kansas City. Earlier this season, they went from Cleveland to Tampa and from Baltimore to Cincinnati for the first times. Next month, they will make their first trip from Miami to Milwaukee.
The Cubs have won two more games than they have lost at Washington, 35-33, since the former Montreal Expos relocated to the nation’s capital in 2005. The Cubs also were 49-33 against two 19th Century NL teams in Washington, for a total record of 84-66.
Last year, the Cubs won two of three at Washington. They swept three in 2024. They last were swept at Nationals Park in 2019. They split four games in 2021, won two of three in 2022 and went 1-3 in 2023.
(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
Probable pitching matchups
Tuesday: Shōta Imanaga, LHP (8-9, 3.60 ERA, 1.093 WHIP, 4.38 FIP) vs. Jake Irvin, RHP (2-5, 5.37 ERA, 1.290 WHIP, 4.73 FIP)
Wednesday: David Peterson, LHP (3-1, 4.03 ERA, 1.237 WHIP, 4.51 FIP in seven starts with Cubs; 6-7, 5.35 ERA, 1.500 WHIP, 4.08 FIP in 23 games overall) vs. Miles Mikolas, RHP (3-9, 5.89 ERA, 1.407 WHIP, 5.72 FIP)
Thursday: Kevin Gausman, RHP (1-0, 2.57 ERA, 0.714 WHIP, 4.23 FIP in one start with Cubs; 6-10, 4.29 ERA, 1.258 WHIP, 3.53 FIP in 24 starts overall) vs. Cade Cavalli, RHP (9-5, 3.57 ERA, 1.298 WHIP, 3.60 FIP)
Times & TV channels
Tuesday: 5:45 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Wednesday: 5:45 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Thursday: 3:05 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Prediction
The Nats lead MLB in runs — but as noted by Sam Sallick above, two of the guys who helped lead them to that (Luis Garcia Jr. and Curtis Mead) have been traded and another (James Wood) is on the IL. The Nats have also allowed the third-most runs in MLB and the Cubs are second to them in runs scored.
All that adds up, I think, to a Cubs series win, two of three, and an outside chance of a sweep.
Up next
The Cubs return to Wrigley Field to host the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-game series beginning Friday afternoon.
