Nationals at Cubs
The Chicago Cubs own the best record through 29 games since 2003 and the top mark among National League clubs since 1977, and they don’t appear to be slowing down. The Cubs will send ace Jake Arrieta to the mound in search of another series sweep when they host the NL East-leading Washington Nationals in the series finale on Sunday.
Chicago has won six straight and 10 of its last 11 games and owns a plus-101 run differential – by far the best in the majors – after slugging its way past the Nationals 8-5 in the third of a four-game set on Saturday. The offense leads the league with 180 runs scored but the pitching staff, led by reigning Cy Young Award winner Arrieta, has been just as dominant. The Nationals are proving to be as tough on that pitching staff as any team with a total of 13 runs scored in the first three games of the series but can’t seem to get the outs it needs on the other side of the ball. Washington held a 4-2 lead after the top of the sixth inning on Saturday only to watch the Cubs put up six runs in their final three chances.
TV: 2:20 p.m. ET, MLB Network, MASN2 (Washington), WGN (Chicago)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals RH Tanner Roark (2-2, 2.35 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Jake Arrieta (6-0, 0.84)
Roark did his best Arrieta impression in consecutive starts to end April, notching a total of 21 strikeouts while yielding four hits in 14 scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies. The 29-year-old did not have it quite so easy in his first May outing, allowing four runs – three earned – and six hits over 7 1/3 innings against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday without factoring in the decision. Roark is 3-2 with a 5.33 ERA in five career games – four starts – against the Cubs and has served up a pair of home runs to Anthony Rizzo.
Arrieta set a historic pace in the second half of last season and has not slowed down in 2016, allowing a total of four runs in 43 innings over his first six starts. The 30-year-old followed up a no-hitter on April 21 by allowing a rare run in five innings at Milwaukee on April 28 but was back to his stingy stuff with two hits allowed in seventh scoreless innings at Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Arrieta struck out eight and yielded one run and six hits over six innings in a win at Washington on June 4.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cubs SS Addison Russell is 3-for-8 with a pair of doubles and four RBIs in the series.
2. Washington RF Bryce Harper is 1-for-4 with seven walks in the series.
3. Chicago 2B Ben Zobrist has hit safely in six straight games and has 15 RBIs in that span.