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Washington Nationals: Are They Ready For Cubs Series?

By Walter Yeates

Jun 12, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (12) in the dugout during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 12, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (12) in the dugout during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 8, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist (18) scores a run on a wild pitch by Washington Nationals starting pitcher Tanner Roark (57) during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
May 8, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Ben Zobrist (18) scores a run on a wild pitch by Washington Nationals starting pitcher Tanner Roark (57) during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

The NL East leading Washington Nationals are heading into a series against the NL Central leading Chicago Cubs with something to prove after being swept by the Cubs in early May.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Tanner Roark made those remarks after the Nationals suffered a 4 game sweep at the hands of the Cubs. While the Chicago Cubs did walk Bryce Harper 13 times during the series, it’s hard to argue against the results. Cubs manager Joe Maddon wasn’t the least bothered by the remark.

"Was just the strategy of the game, based on how they built their group. That’s all it came down to. It’s nothing I did. We had to react to the moment. We tried to pick our best spots, based on our abilities versus theirs. That’s how it played out. It happens every day. It just happened more often in (Sunday’s) game….The best way I could put it, I did not do anything to them. – Joe Maddon, May 9, 2016"

One could make the assumption that Maddon was alluding to Ryan Zimmerman; who hit behind Harper, leaving over ten men on base throughout the series. Zimmerman’s inability to make the Cubs pay for pitching around Harper made Maddon’s strategy easy to continue.

Just over a month has passed and after Jayson Werth‘s walk-off hit last night secured a series sweep over the Philadelphia Phillies, the Dusty Baker led Nationals welcome the Cubs to Nationals’ Park for a series that could very well be the NLCS match-up.

Next: How Can The Nationals Beat The Cubs?

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