The Chicago Cubs (47-67, 58-56 RL, 49-57-8 O/U) and the Washington Nationals (39-78, 47-67 RL, 55-54-5 O/U) conclude a three-game series on Wednesday afternoon. The Cubs will send Drew Smyly to the hill, seeking his third straight win. The Nationals will reply with Cory Abbott. The season series is 2-2.
Drew Smyly will make his 16th start of the year in the finale. Smyly was outstanding in his previous start, tossing five shutout innings against the Reds in the Field of Dreams game, and was credited with the victory to lift his record to 6-5. The veteran lefty is in a groove, conceding zero or one run in four out of his last five starts, and has posted a 3.69 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in 70.2 innings of work on the season. Smyly has excelled in his career against the Nationals, logging a 3.38 ERA and a 1-0 record in 29.1 innings.
The Cubs are near the end of a seven-game road trip. They won two of three against the Reds this past weekend and lost a 5-4 decision in Monday’s series opener. The squad has been competitive recently. They have won three consecutive series which include two wins in three meetings against this Nats team last week.
Ian Happ is swinging a hot bat, delivering eight RBIs in his last five games. The 28-year-old slugger now has 12 big flies with 54 RBIs and a strong .816 OPS on the season. Happ went 4 for 13 with one RBI against the Nationals earlier this month and collected two RBIs in Monday's defeat.
The Cubs are scoring an average of 4.15 runs per game, ranking them 21st overall. The pitching staff has filed a 4.27 team ERA, pegging them 23rd in the Major Leagues.