Monday night at Nationals Park, the two best teams in baseball match up in a three-game series. The Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals face each other for the second time this season and have the top two records in the National League.
(Over in the AL, the Texas Rangers have the same 39-24 record as the Nats, so issue could be taken with that “two best teams in baseball” assertion. But the argument here is that Washington has been more consistent over the first 10 weeks of the season, while the Rangers have surged recently to emerge as the best team in the AL.)
The Cubs and Nats played a four-game set at Wrigley Field in early May, which ended in a four-game sweep by the home team. That’s when the Cubs began to look like they might actually be the juggernaut that fans and observers expected them to be going into the 2016 season.
CHICAGO, IL – MAY 08: Javier Baez #9 of the Chicago Cubs is greeted by teammates after hitting the game-winning, walk off home run against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field on May 8, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs defeated the Nationals 4-3 in 13 innings. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
To that point, the Cubs had the best record in MLB, but it was largely built by pummeling the likes of the Diamondbacks, Reds, Rockies, Brewers and Braves. Of course, a team can only play the schedule it’s given. And there’s certainly something to be said for a contender feasting on lower-tier clubs. That’s what a good team is supposed to do.
Yet the Cubs hadn’t just beaten poor teams going into that four-game set. The Pirates were viewed as a possible competitor in the NL Central, though a likely wild-card winner again. But the Cubs went into PNC Park and showed their dominance, winning their three games by a combined score of 20-5 and built their first-place lead to six games.
Meanwhile, the Nats were something of an early-season surprise as they visited Wrigley Field. Overlooked throughout the offseason and during spring training as the Mets became the glamour team of the NL East, Washington quickly reminded the baseball world that its roster was still extremely talented, led by the reigning NL MVP and two of the best pitchers in MLB.
Our first #walkoff win of the year, courtesy of @javy23baez! #LetsGohttps://t.co/idZ71vc53V
— #VoteCubs (@Cubs) May 8, 2016
But that early success came to a four-game halt against the Cubs, with its weekend sweep punctuated by a 13-inning, walkoff win on a home run by Javier Baez — one of the young stars expected to push this team to greatness. And though just over one month had passed in the 2016 season, it was beginning to look as if no challengers would present an obstacle between the Cubs and the elusive World Series championship everyone is expecting for them.
Since then, the Cubs have arguably struggled a bit, though their dominance over the rest of the league hasn’t been endangered. Whether their hitting troubles finally became too much to overcome, a young team played down to lesser competition, or the realities of a long MLB season began to sink in, Cubs fans conditioned for the worst to come seemed to experience a brief moment of panic.
But a stretch of losing two of three to the Padres and Brewers can now rightly be viewed as a speed bump on what’s been a smooth road for this team. From there, the Cubs won two of three from a Cardinals team that might finally be rounding into form, and three of four from a Dodgers club that has to be considered one of this season’s bigger disappointments.
Going into Monday’s series opener, the Cubs have a nine-game lead in the NL Central, by far the biggest first-place margin of MLB’s six division leaders. This is really happening. It’s beginning to look as if the Cubs themselves are the only team that can keep it from winning the World Series. And with the July 31 trade deadline nearly two months away, there is still plenty of time for this team to add reinforcements. Thoughts of adding a shutdown reliever like Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman are already dancing in the heads of Cubs fans and baseball insiders.
CINCINNATI, OH – MAY 22: Aroldis Chapman #54 of the Cincinnati Reds is congratulated by manager Dusty baker following the game against the Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park on May 22, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds won 4-3.(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
One team that could thwart those trade deadline ambitions? The Nationals. General manager Mike Rizzo has prospects and depth to offer in a potential deal, as well, though not as much as the Cubs enjoy. And plenty of writers will likely try to connect dots between manager Dusty Baker and Chapman, his former closer in Cincinnati, over the next few weeks. But if that could be the difference in a seven-game postseason series, Rizzo has shown he can be aggressive at the trade deadline. Perhaps he will be, given that there may be more urgency to win with this current roster.
But that’s looking ahead — way ahead — to October. What about the three-game series at hand this week?
The Nats appear to have the starting pitching advantage with Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg going in this series. The Cubs will counter with Kyle Hendricks, John Lackey and Jason Hammel. Avoiding Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester looks like a good bit of scheduling fortune for Washington.
CHICAGO, IL – MAY 11: John Lackey #41 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the San Diego Padres during the first inning during game two of a double header at Wrigley Field on May 11, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
Yet the Nationals may not be catching a break by facing the back end of the Cubs’ rotation. Though he wasn’t a flashy free agent signing, Lackey has been the strong No. 3 starter the Cubs needed. In 12 starts, he’s compiled a 7-2 record, 2.63 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 82 innings. Hammel has a 2.36 ERA, with Kendricks posting a 2.90 mark.
Still, the Nats have to like playing at home with their two best starters scheduled to pitch and a fifth starter whose talent would make him a top-three pitcher for virtually every other team in MLB. Strangely, Washington has been better away from home this season, while the Cubs have been one of the best road teams in baseball. Will the Cubs continue to show they can win anywhere and beat anyone, or will the Nationals protect some home turf and stake a claim to home-field in the NL playoffs?
Other contenders in MLB will surely remind us in the weeks and months to come that the rest of the season isn’t just a prologue to a Cubs-Nationals NLCS. The Giants, Mets, Rangers and whomever emerges from the clusterjams in the AL Central and AL East could certainly be factors in deciding who wins the league pennants and World Series. But for three games in mid-June, as the weather around the country truly begins to feel like summer and kids are now out of school, this week’s series at Nationals Park is looking like the best versus the best and warrants our attention.
