Washington Nationals: Are They Ready For Cubs Series?

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Jun 7, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (28) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

Get to the bullpen. To be blunt the Cubs rotation has been extra terrestrial kind of good this season. Their combined numbers are out of this universe. Going into play today 18 NL starting pitchers had an ERA under 3 – all 5 Cubs starters on that list.

Kyle Hendricks takes the mound tonight (2.90), John Lackey (2.63) Tuesday, and Jason Hammel (2.36) Wednesday. While those three have a combined 2.63 ERA the Cubs bullpen has a 3.42 clip, which is 4th in the NL, but still provides a better opportunity than Hendricks, Lackey, and Hammel who have all shown extreme pitch-ability and the ability to dominate this season.

It will probably be a bad sign for the Nats if the Cubs are able to work their starters into the 7th throughout the series in Washington.

Another example of how dominate these three have been is the fact they have combined for 16 starts thus far where they have gone 5+ innings and allowed no more than 1 run. Hammel and Lackey are tied with 6, while Hendricks has 4 such starts.

Next: Which Cubbie Bats Should the Nats Fear?

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