Chicago Cubs could have their hands full in matchup against Washington Nationals

A tale of two seasons in one for Nationals bullpen

While the Nationals offense and rotation have dominated this season, their bullpen has not. Entering Tuesday, their 4.69 ERA by relievers is second-to-last in the MLB; statistically, the 58-79 Detroit Tigers and their bullpen’s 5.23 ERA is the only team statistically worse than the Nationals.

It should be noted, however, that the Nationals bullpen has improved significantly in the second half of the season. In the first half, their bullpen went 14-13 with a 5.20 ERA, compared to a 9-3 record with a 3.80 ERA in the second half.

The sample size is the second half is much smaller than the first half, of course. However, it cannot be denied that the Nationals bullpen has improved. This improvement is largely attributed to the acquisitions of relievers Sean Doolittle, Brandon Kintzler and Ryan Madson.

With Doolittle (2.98 ERA in 42 1/3 IP), Kintzler (2.77 ERA in 61 2/3 IP) and Madson (1.61 ERA, 50 1/3 IP) the Nationals have a scary trio in both their rotation and their bullpen. Basically, the Cubs would not be facing something like the 2016 Giants bullpen if matched up against the Nationals.

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Cubs’ pen is all about consistency

The Cubs bullpen is no slouch, though, ranking eighth in the MLB entering Tuesday with a 3.91 ERA. This number is quite deceiving, though; in the first half, the Cubs bullpen ERA was 3.26 compared to a 5.21 ERA in the second half. If the Cubs can get back to their first half performance, both sides would be up against numerous tough relievers.

The Nationals could clinch their division this week, but the Cubs still have several weeks to go before they could. Assuming the Cubs hold up their end of the deal, a Nationals and Cubs NLDS series would surely be full of star power and an exciting clash between two tremendous teams.