The Chicago Cubs have had a difficult time sustaining any positive momentum during their World Series title defense, and they’ll face a tough task in trying to do so when they begin a four-game road series against the Washington Nationals on Monday. The Nationals hold a commanding lead in the National League East, while the Cubs are hovering one game above .500 and trail Milwaukee by 1 1/2 games in the NL Central.
The Cubs have been inconsistent all around, but the offense has been perhaps the biggest cause for concern. The lineup faces a tall task Monday against left-hander Gio Gonzalez, who is enjoying his best season since winning 21 games in 2012 and needs one strikeout to reach 1,500 in his career. Chicago first baseman Anthony Rizzo, one of the team’s hottest hitters of late, is 2-for-20 with six strikeouts against Gonzalez. The Cubs left 31 runners on base while splitting a four-game series at Miami over the weekend, including 11 stranded runners in Sunday’s 4-2 loss.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Chicago, MASN (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Eddie Butler (3-2, 4.19 ERA) vs. Nationals LH Gio Gonzalez (7-1, 2.96)
Butler is winless in his last three starts, and he hasn’t made it through six innings since tossing six scoreless frames in his Cubs debut May 12. The 26-year-old allowed only one run and five hits Wednesday against San Diego, but he ran up a high pitch count and left without recording an out in the fifth. Butler has faced the Nationals only once, allowing four runs over six innings in a loss in 2015.
Gonzalez is well on his way to an eighth straight season with double-digit wins, and he has won four straight decisions with his last loss coming May 8 at Baltimore. The 31-year-old has posted five straight quality starts and is coming off a win at Miami in which he allowed three runs and six hits over seven frames with eight strikeouts. Gonzalez is 3-2 with a 3.23 ERA in nine starts against the Cubs.
WALK-OFFS
1. Washington 2B Daniel Murphy is 13-for-36 during a nine-game hitting streak.
2. Chicago SS Addison Russell left Sunday’s game with right shoulder discomfort and is considered day-to-day.
3. The Cubs have hit into at least one double play in seven straight games, matching their longest streak since 2012.