Morning Marquee: Chicago Cubs, Lester outdueled by Scherzer and the Nationals

Cubs baffled by Scherzer in loss

It was hyped as a pitching matchup between two of the best, and it didn’t disappoint in that regard. The Chicago Cubs’

allowed only one earned run over seven innings, but the Washington Nationals

was as good as advertised. The Cubs threatened only once, and that was in the eighth after Scherzer had left the game. The 3-0 loss was tough to swallow, but the Cubs showed they can play with the league’s best.

Cubs skipper Joe Maddon once again was tinkering with the lineup, batting Chris Coghlan in the leadoff of spot and putting Dexter Fowler in the clean-up spot. In the end, it didn’t matter where they were batting because Scherzer retired just about everyone.

With the series between the two team and former childhood teammates from Las Vegas Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant, our Tobey Johnson looks at who might have the brighter future. The MLB.com crew talked about the same subject prior to the game. two chose Harper, one Bryant. They’ll learn.

The Cubs Starlin Castro was one of the few to reach base against Scherzer, tallying two singles against the former AL Cy-Young. But it’s been a rough stretch for Castro. Is it time to considering moving him down in the order? Maddon has shown he’ll make adjustments, so maybe this is one that needs to happen soon.

These and other stories you may have missed:

‘Cubs shutout 3-0 by Scherzer, Nationals’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Brighter future: Harper of Bryant? – Cubbies Crib

‘Cards’ Matt Adams out 3-4 months’ – ESPN.com

‘Is it time to move Castro down in the order?’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Rodriguez passes Gehrig on all-time RBI list’ – MLB.com

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