Mad about Cubs: Nats’ Scherzer seeks revenge
The NL East-leading Nationals didn’t fare so well in their first series of the year vs. the Cubs. That phrase “now or never” comes to mind, however, as the two titans prepare to clash again.
Washington (39-24) hosts MLB-best Chicago tonight, with a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch in the nation’s capital. It’s the uncommon instance when online sports book Bovada.lv doesn’t fancy Joe Maddon’s players, listing them as +105 underdogs. The Nats, on the other hand, are 1.5-run favorites.
After completing a sweep of Philadelphia, Dusty Baker’s gang is a season-high 15 games over .500. The venerable Max Scherzer (7-4, 3.57 ERA) strides to the mound this evening, too, looking to build on his most recent outing. He befuddled the White Sox last week, twirling seven scoreless innings and fanning six. Only three hurlers in the senior circuit boast more strikeouts than Scherzer’s 107.
Nonetheless, the three-time All-Star ran into major trouble against the Cubbies (43-18) a month ago. Nearly everybody on Baker’s roster deserved equal blame, really. When the clubs met May 5-8 in the Windy City, the Cubs captured all four contests by a combined score of 22-16.
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Maddon’s group continues to cut a swath through the competition, having just grabbed two of three from the Braves. Can Kyle Hendricks (4-5, 2.90) fend off a refreshed Bryce Harper and the rest of Washington’s stellar sticks, though? We ultimately like Scherzer to deal the visitors a rare defeat.
MONDAY MLB FREE PICK: NATIONALS -1.5
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