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Washington Nationals
Record (as of Sept. 27): 91-65, NL East Champion
Home Record: 46-29
Away Record: 45-36
One Run Games: 25-19
Versus Cubs: 2-5
Team ERA: 3.44 (2nd in NL)
Batting Average Against: .233 (3rd in NL)
The Washington Nationals are constantly talk about as being “the” team to beat during off-season speculation. The mix of young talent and solid pitching provides created that narrative, but the team has yet to live up to the hype. The team is making its second playoff appearance since moving to Washington.
The Cubs were highly successful against the Nationals this season. They were able to neutralize Bryce Harper while in Wrigley Field, and other players were not able to step-up. Max Scherzer and Gio Gonzalez both struggled at Wrigley. Scherzer got the best of the Cubs in Washington. Stephen Strasburg performed well versus the Cubs, allowing only one run in seven innings. However, the bullpen for the Nationals is 1-3 against the Cubs.
The biggest concern for the Cubs when speaking of the Nationals is keeping the offense in check. Sure, they did that during the regular season, but the Nationals scored more runs in August than in any other month of the season. The two teams have not played each other since June 15.