The Washington Nationals (36-74, 44-63 RL, 50-52-5 O/U) take on the Chicago Cubs (43-64, 54-53 RL, 45-55-7 O/U) in the first of a three-game series on Monday evening. The Nationals will have Anibal Sanchez on the hill. The Cubs will reply with Keegan Thompson. The Cubs went 4-3 against the Nats last year and this marks the first meeting this season.
The Nationals will have Anibal Sanchez make his fifth start of the season. Sanchez had more trouble in his latest effort, conceding five runs (four earned) in 5.1 innings against the Mets, and was tagged with the loss to fall to 0-4. The veteran right-hander has struggled in all four outings this season, conceding 18 runs (17 earned) in 20 innings, resulting in a horrible 7.65 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Sanchez has strong numbers against the Cubs in his career, posting a 5-2 record and a 2.94 ERA.
The Nationals continue a seven-game road trek. They lost all four games against the Phillies this past weekend, allowing 32 runs in the series. The offense will struggle going forward and the pitching continues to stumble. The Nats are 2-8 in their last ten games.
Nelson Cruz now leads the Nationals in RBIs after trading away Soto and Bell. The veteran slugger missed three games last week due to a neck injury but is back in action. Cruz is still dangerous, bashing eight homers with 52 RBIs and a .661 OPS on the season.
The Nationals are scoring an average of 3.83 runs, ranking them 27th overall. The pitching staff has filed a 5.25 team ERA, pegging them last.