Cubs at Nationals
Kris Bryant is swinging one of the hottest bats in the major leagues and the versatile 27-year-old slugger hopes to continue the trend when his Chicago Cubs visit the Washington Nationals on Saturday night. Bryant matched his career high with three homers in Friday’s 14-6 rout of the Nationals and is 11-for-23 over the past five contests while extending his on-base streak to 26 straight games.
Bryant went deep in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings Friday and finished with five RBIs for the National League Central-leading Cubs, who snapped a two-game losing streak and recorded their 14th win in the past 18 contests. Stephen Strasburg will take his turn trying to cool off Bryant when he heads to the mound for the middle contest of the series Saturday against left-hander Jon Lester, who has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors over the first few months of the season. Washington came into Friday off its first series victory in nearly a month against the New York Mets, but served up six homers and 18 hits in the opener of the set while center fielder Victor Robles left the game after being hit on the left wrist with a pitch. Shortstop Trea Turner on Friday returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a broken finger in early April and went 2-for-5 for the Nationals, who sent infielder Wilmer Difo to Triple-A Fresno.
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Jon Lester (3-1, 1.16 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (3-3, 3.63)
Lester has not allowed an earned run in his last three starts and four of the past five after yielding one unearned tally on nine hits over 6 2/3 innings Sunday in a 4-1 win against Milwaukee. The 35-year-old has permitted eight runs (five earned) overall in seven starts and boasts 39 strikeouts against eight walks - two in the last four outings - across 38 2/3 innings. Kurt Suzuki is 7-for-26 with a homer versus Lester, who was pounded for nine runs over 3 2/3 innings in one start against Washington last year.
Strasburg has posted four quality starts over his past five outings, but is 2-2 during that stretch after the Nationals did not score in either of his last two appearances. The 30-year-old San Diego State product gave up two runs on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts across six innings in a 6-0 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. Jason Heyward is 15-for-37 with a homer against Strasburg, who is 1-1 with a 2.23 ERA in six career starts versus the Cubs.
WALK-OFFS
1. Washington 3B Anthony Rendon is 7-for-16 with a homer and four RBIs in the first four games of the homestand.
2. Chicago SS Javier Baez owns baseball's longest active hitting streak, going 24-for-63 during his 15-game run.
3. The Nationals on Friday placed RHP Anibal Sanchez (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list and recalled fellow RHP Kyle McGowin from Fresno.