Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals – Series Preview (September 19-22): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (77-75) just lost their second consecutive series to a bad team, dropping two of three to the Oakland A’s at Wrigley Field. They now have 10 games left as they play out the string on a 2024 season that has been disappointing, to say the least. Next up on the schedule is another team playing for the future, as the Nationals come to town for four starting Thursday.
Washington (68-84) was swept in a three-game series with the Cubs at Nationals Park earlier this month. They have a very young lineup with top prospects like James Wood and Dylan Crews getting a long look since nothing is at stake right now.
The Nats pitching staff continues to struggle, especially the bullpen. The relief corps has a 4.21 ERA and was beat up on by Chicago hitters, who were able to score 26 runs in just three games against them. The streaking Mets just put up a nine-spot against them in a single inning on Wednesday.
For the Cubs, the goal at this point is just to play well and continue to monitor the development of young players. Jed Hoyer said several weeks ago that the focus was more on 2025, and now that can truly be the case.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Thursday, September 19 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Friday, September 20 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
- Saturday, September 21 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
- Sunday, September 22 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 9/19 | Javier Assad | 27 | R | 3.27 | 7-5 | 4.49 | 1.97 |
| Patrick Corbin | 35 | L | 5.45 | 6-13 | 4.38 | 2.54 | |
| 9/20 | Jameson Taillon | 32 | R | 3.54 | 10-8 | 3.97 | 4.10 |
| Trevor Williams | 32 | R | 2.22 | 5–0 | 2.82 | 2.94 | |
| 9/21 | Kyle Hendricks | 34 | R | 6.25 | 4-11 | 5.17 | 2.08 |
| MacKenzie Gore | 25 | L | 4.17 | 9–12 | 3.62 | 2.67 | |
| 9/22 | Shōta Imanaga | 31 | L | 3.03 | 14-3 | 3.80 | 6.07 |
| Jake Irvin | 27 | R | 4.07 | 10-12 | 4.20 | 3.33 |
What to Watch For
- Nico Hoerner had seven hits and two walks against Oakland.
- Ian Happ‘s next home run will give him 26, the most he has ever had in a season.
- Taillon has gone at least six innings in his last three starts and has allowed only five runs in 19 total innings.