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Home , Casey Stern, Going My Way, Jerry Dybzinski, Joe Maddon, Kyle Schwarber, Matt Bush (baseball)

October 6, 2017  ESPNChicago.com, Been there, done that: 'Underdog' Cubs feeling no pressure in repeat quest http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/46000/underdog-cubs-feeling-no-pressure-with-sights- set-on-repeating

 NBC Sports Chicago, will again be under the microscope with Cubs back in playoff mode http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/joe-maddon-will-again-be-under-microscope-cubs-back-playoff- mode

 NBC Sports Chicago, has a mancrush on http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/dusty-baker-has-baseball-mancrush-kyle-hendricks-0

 NBC Sports Chicago, Las Vegas massacre hits close to home for Cubs superstar : 'It broke my heart' http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/las-vegas-massacre-hits-close-home-cubs-superstar-kris-bryant-it- broke-my-heart

 NBC Sports Chicago, Looking at Cubs turnaround through eyes of ’s ‘mistake,’ Edwin Jackson http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/looking-cubs-turnaround-through-eyes-theo-epsteins-mistake- edwin-jackson

 NBC Sports Chicago, The Nationals NLDS rotation spells good news for the Cubs http://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/chicago-cubs/mlb-nlds-nationals-rotation-scherzer-health-good-news- cubs-strasburg-gonzalez

, Cubs no longer the story but still a story for baseball’s postseason http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-mlb-postseason-storylines-rosenthal-spt-1006- 20171005-column.html

 Chicago Tribune, No lineup shakeup in store as Cubs prepare for http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-albert-almora-stephen-strasburg-cubs-notes-spt- 1006-20171005-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, To choke up or not to choke up? Cubs' Joe Maddon likes 'B' hack mentality http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-batters-choking-up-spt-1006-20171005- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Should you be worried Cubs are worry-free this October? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-sullivan-worry-free-cubs-spt-1006-20171005- column.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs youngsters eager to take greater ownership in NLDS http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-young-players-nlds-spt-1006-20171005- story.html

 Chicago Tribune, Are the Nationals this year's Cubs? 'There is some pressure on us' http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-nationals-washington-collapses-sullivan-spt-1006- 20171005-column.html

 Chicago Tribune, Cubs vs. Nationals: Who has the edge in the Division Series? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-nationals-edge-spt-1006-20171005-story.html

 Chicago Tribune, NLDS Game 1 starters: Kyle Hendricks vs. Stephen Strasburg http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-pitching-matchup-game-1-spt-1006-20171005- story.html

 Chicago Sun-Times, TELANDER: There’s more than one way to skin a Nat https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/telander-theres-more-than-one-way-to-skin-a-nat/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Can stronger Cubs back up owner’s boast in return to Washington? https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/can-stronger-cubs-back-up-owners-boast-in-return-to-washington/

 Chicago Sun-Times, What’s with the poker face, ? Just smile like Kris Bryant https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/whats-with-the-poker-face-bryce-harper-just-smile-like-kris-bryant/

 Chicago Sun-Times, MORRISSEY: Cubs trying to put the pressure on Nationals. All of it. https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/morrissey-cubs-trying-to-put-the-pressure-on-nationals-all-of-it/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Kris Bryant reacts to Vegas shooting, says future in-law was there https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/chicago-cubs-kris-bryants-reacts-las-vegas-shooting-family/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs NLDS tickets cheaper this season compared to the last two years https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/chicago-cubs-nlds-baseball-tickets-cheap/

 Chicago Sun-Times, Nationals announce NLDS Game 1 starter and Scherzer update https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/nationals-announce-starting-pitching-rotation-for-nlds/

 Daily Herald, ' hopes to shine in postseason again http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20171005/chicago-cubs-kyle-schwarber-hopes-to-shine-in-postseason- again

 Daily Herald, Strasburg vs. Hendricks: Who has the edge? http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20171005/strasburg-vs-hendricks-who-has-the-edge

 Daily Herald, Hometown Vegas on minds of Bryant, Harper http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20171005/hometown-vegas-on-minds-of-bryant-harper

 Daily Herald, Lackey makes Cubs' NLDS roster; Rondon left off http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20171006/lackey-makes-cubs-nlds-roster-rondon-left-off

 Daily Herald, No shortage of motivation for ex-Cubs Baker http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20171005/no-shortage-of-motivation-for-ex-cubs-manager-baker

 Cubs.com, Hendricks to start Game 1 of NLDS for Cubs http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257375538/kyle-hendricks-to-start-game-1-of-nlds/

 Cubs.com, #VegasStrong: City on minds of Harper, Bryant http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257501320/bryce-harper-kris-bryant-to-face-off-in-nlds/

 Cubs.com, Cubs' title defense begins in DC vs. Nats http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257547722/cubs-title-defense-begins-in-dc-vs-nats

 Cubs.com, Cubs-Nats: NLDS position-by-position http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257381430/nlds-cubs-vs-nationals-positional-breakdown/

 Cubs.com, 5 Statcast facts for NLDS: Cubs vs. Nationals http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257404286/statcast-facts-for-nlds-cubs-nationals/

 Cubs.com, Cubs will rely on experience in quest to repeat http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257539970/cubs-to-rely-on-experience-in-quest-to-repeat/

 Cubs.com, Happ highlights Cubs' impressive versatility http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257536572/cubs-ian-happ-highlights-clubs-versatility/

 Cubs.com, Schwarber now gets chance to face Strasburg http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257534454/kyle-schwarber-gets-chance-to-face-nationals/

 Cubs.com, Nats' speedy Turner a challenge for Cubs http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257545962/cubs-need-to-control-nationals-trea-turner/

 Cubs.com, Bridge from starter-closer critical for Cubs-Nats http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/257536568/cubs-nationals-have-solid-middle-relief/

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ESPNChicago.com Been there, done that: 'Underdog' Cubs feeling no pressure in repeat quest By Jesse Rogers

WASHINGTON -- At a team dinner in Washington on Wednesday, Chicago Cubs reliever couldn’t remember who proposed the toast -- mostly because it wasn’t that memorable. The Cubs were watching the National League wild-card game in a relaxed setting.

“It was no big deal,” Duensing said. “Next thing I know, everyone was raising their glass.”

The Cubs toasted to their upcoming journey in the 2017 playoffs, but there’s little doubt nothing will top what they accomplished in 2016. No amount of pressure will compare to breaking the 108-year championship drought -- and that is something the Cubs are relying on this time around.

Could there be any greater irony than if the team that couldn’t win one in 108 years won two in two years?

“That would be something,” lefty Mike Montgomery said.

The Cubs looked like anything but defending champions in the first half of this season, but they had the best record in the National League in the second half. Now they enter their division series against the with at least two other things going for them: They have experience and they are underdogs.

“Experience equals knowing,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I think that’s important to understand. That’s what good experience really is. I want us to be eager as opposed to anxious. I think semantics matter.”

The narrative for the Cubs heading into the postseason is pretty simple: Been there, done that. They don’t have home-field advantage against the other two division winners -- like they did last season, when they dominated the competition from start to finish -- but it’s not a big deal. Nothing is to this team.

“We have history here with this group in October,” said. “Good history. Good feelings. Good vibes. … We didn’t let it affect us, but when you look back on it, the pressure was through the roof [last season]. Break a curse the way we did, the series we did it in. I don’t see it being any easier, but I think we’re built for it.”

All of this might be splitting hairs, but the Cubs find a distinction between pressure and attention. And they know that Cubs fans are everywhere.

“There’s always focus and attention here, man,” Maddon said. “Just walking across the street from the parking lot indicated that. That hasn’t changed.”

It’s that attention that has them focused on a second straight championship -- something 17 National League teams have failed to achieve since 1976.

Game 2 starter has three rings but is nowhere near satisfied. And he’s making sure his teammates aren’t either.

“If you lose that hunger to win it, you may as well go home,” Lester stated bluntly. “If you don’t think you should win, then you probably shouldn’t be here.”

The Cubs grudgingly accept being underdogs against the Nationals, but they don’t really believe it. Or at the very least, they don’t believe it means anything -- at least not to them. If the pressure gets to the Nationals because they are the perceived favorite, then so be it. The Cubs will keep it loose knowing they have their championship.

“I think winning last year helps,” Lester said. “We’re not anxious. We’ve won, so you have that in your back pocket, so you’re not putting as much pressure on yourself to go out and perform.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean the Cubs can just roll out of bed and repeat as champions. They’ll have to earn it all over again, but everyone in their clubhouse and front office agrees the feeling this time around is different -- and not necessarily in a bad way.

“I think our guys are excited to go play in the postseason,” president Theo Epstein said. “No anxiety. No nervousness in a negative way. It’s just pure excitement. Once you’ve tasted success in the postseason, it makes you really eager to get back there and do it again. Our guys are raring to go.”

Epstein built such a deep team, his manager needed all week to devise an opening game lineup. Then again, the Nationals are deep as well, after midseason trades improved their bullpen. Perhaps it comes down to who is more desperate (that would be Washington) or who plays with less pressure on their backs (that would be Chicago).

Rookie is one of the few players who wasn’t around last season, but by the look on his face before Thursday’s workout, the playoffs aren’t that big of a deal. Of course, he hasn’t had an at-bat in them yet.

“It’s just a continuation of the way we’ve approached the entire year,” Happ said. “Everything has been preparation for [Friday]. ... I’m not anxious. I’m excited. It should be a blast.”

Second-year man Jr. added, “We do a good job of keeping to ourselves and saying, ‘Hey, it’s Game No. 163.’ Just some extra games added on. We’re not trying to blow it up. The routine stays the same.”

That was the prevailing sentiment at the team dinner on Wednesday, which was then repeated throughout the day Thursday afternoon. There’s bound to be some butterflies come game time, but not the type that come with a franchise that hasn’t won a championship in more than a century. Those demons were exorcised last fall.

“Experience is key,” Almora continued. “We’ve been here before. Just a different city.”

Right fielder added, “It’s huge because that’s all you have is experience. When you need to lean back on something or rely on something, that goes a long way.”

Can the Cubs kick that door down again? The Nationals are good, but nothing the Cubs face will come close to last season’s challenge. And having met that one, perhaps the daunting task of repeating isn’t so far-fetched.

“That to me is harder than defending the World Series,” Lester said of last year’s playoff run. “Going forward, we have nothing to lose. We’re a really good team and should win the World Series again.”

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NBC Sports Chicago Joe Maddon will again be under the microscope with Cubs back in playoff mode By Patrick Mooney

WASHINGTON – “Manager of the Year,” one player sarcastically said to another in the hallway as they passed a group of reporters walking into Joe Maddon’s office for a postgame press conference.

The Cubs had just beaten the in an intense 10-inning game at Miller Park, where it already felt like the playoffs in late September, the defending World Series champs closing in on a second straight division title and a third consecutive playoff appearance, something this franchise had not done since opened more than a century ago.

Minutes after that throwaway line, cranky gave a “Ya think?” answer to a question about wanting to throw more innings. It’s not easy herding millionaires with huge egos and their own agendas. But that scene in the visiting clubhouse – while the Cubs were operating at their highest level all season – reinforced the idea that something had been a little off with this team.

So while Dusty Baker has more to lose — no contract for next season, no World Series ring as a manager — Maddon’s decisions will be magnified in a best-of-five National League Division Series where the Washington Nationals might have more on-paper talent in every phase of the game.

It begins Friday night at , where the Cubs nearly self-destructed in late June, chatty backup talking his way off the team and the never-ending victory tour making a second White House stop within six months.

Do you think Kyle Hendricks will be allowed to pitch deeper into Game 1?

“I’m not Joe Maddon,” said Jon Lester, who didn’t get the clean situation everyone expected when he replaced Hendricks with two outs in the fifth inning of last year’s World Series Game 7. “I don’t make those decisions. As a pitcher, I’m sure he wants to throw nine every time, just like the rest of us do.

“You don’t even know if (Kyle’s) heart’s beating out there half the time. I’m sure he gets frustrated when he gets taken out of games, just like the rest of us do as well.

“I just hope he pitches well and we don’t have to worry about any decisions.”

The thing with Maddon is that his greatest strengths — deep trust in players to do the right thing, an expectation the clubhouse will police itself, a relentlessly upbeat attitude, the stubborn belief in his philosophy — can at times also look like his biggest weaknesses.

It can also be a matter of perception. The sloppy fundamentals and lack of urgency during a 43-45 first half left Theo Epstein’s front office considering the remote possibility of dealing Award winner and All-Star before the July 31 trade deadline and flipping those upcoming free agents for prospects.

That 49-25 surge after the All-Star break also reflected a manager who kept his cool and mostly contained the frustrations at a time when you wondered if this team would listen to anyone, anyway, because everyone kept telling the Cubs how great they were, how great they are and how great they will be in the future.

“Joe’s super-consistent and very positive and manages with the big picture in mind,” Epstein said. “Look at what we’ve done in the second halves under him.”

Since Maddon used the escape clause in his contract with the after the 2014 season, the Cubs have gone 118-57 in August, September and early October, plus winning five playoff rounds and the franchise’s first World Series title since 1908.

“He’s been the same guy since Day 1,” said Kris Bryant, who has won Rookie of the Year and MVP awards and a World Series ring and advanced to the playoffs three times during his first three seasons with Maddon/in the big leagues.

“He’s very hands-off. He trusts his players. He knows that we all want to win. He knows that we’re going to prepare for every game, so he feels like he doesn’t need to go out there and hoorah and tell us all this stuff to get us ready. He knows that we have a good group here.

“He’s been the perfect manager for a young team, that’s for sure.”

By his own admission, Maddon is not a rules guy or a rah-rah motivator. He doesn’t come with big-league playing experience or an expertise in pitching mechanics or the science of hitting. He also didn’t bring out the zoo animals or as many dress-up gimmicks this season.

“You can play that stuff out too much,” said , who made his big-league debut with Maddon’s 101-loss Tampa Bay team in 2006. “You can do a little bit too much. He probably pulled back a little bit (compared to) past years.

“Our team was so loose all year, anyways. There wasn’t really a moment in the season where we didn’t pick each other up or we were hanging our heads or guys weren’t wanting to work.

“A lot of these guys are just intrinsically motivated.”

The strategy questions followed Maddon after the Cubs beat the at Progressive Field last November and lingered into the winter meetings and . Maddon didn’t publicly second-guess himself about how he used superstar closer and doesn’t see the point in dissecting the job he’s done this year.

“It doesn’t matter, really,” Maddon said. “I’m pleased in the sense that what I’ve always believed I’ve carried here. And I haven’t backed down on my belief system regarding how to work with the baseball team, how to run a game, how to help promote it, develop young players. All that stuff, nothing has changed.

“It’s nice to see that your methods are validated. Because as you move it along, you really are secure and understanding what you believe is right on. There are times where you are just trying stuff, you don’t even know. But then you get to a certain point where you feel pretty strongly about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.

“If anything, I’ll concede one thing: That these last three years overall have validated the teaching principles I’ve learned in this game and how to go about it. The people that I learned from are a really special group.”

The end scene for a baseball lifer will be the free-flowing Hall of Fame speech Maddon will someday give on a summer afternoon in Cooperstown, New York, name-dropping all his old coaches and buddies from places like Lafayette College and the Texas League, the back fields he once worked and the miles he drove as a scout, all the experiences that shaped him into an iconic manager. But the rest of this Cubs season is unwritten, and it will be fascinating to see if Maddon pushes the right buttons now.

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NBC Sports Chicago Dusty Baker has a baseball mancrush on Kyle Hendricks By Tony Andracki

As Kyle Hendricks gears up for his NLDS Game 1 start, the team he's facing knows full well what he's capable of.

Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker spoke Thursday, the day before Game 1, and compared Hendricks to Greg .

Baker is hardly the first person to compare Hendricks to Maddux, but the veteran manager carries a lot of clout, especially because Greg's brother - Mike Maddux - is Baker's pitching coach in D.C.

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NBC Sports Chicago Las Vegas massacre hits close to home for Cubs superstar Kris Bryant: 'It broke my heart' By Patrick Mooney

WASHINGTON — The images from Las Vegas haunted Cubs superstar Kris Bryant, who couldn’t just stick to sports this October or feel numb to another mass shooting. This became personal for Bryant on Sunday night, trying to get information on the massacre at a country music festival that killed at least 59 people and wounded hundreds and hundreds more.

“It broke my heart,” Bryant said. “It’s been scary, watching the news and watching the numbers rise. You never think it’s going to happen to anywhere you’re from, or where you live, and then it does.

“I was up all night. Thankfully, the people who were there that we knew got back to us really quick, so we weren’t waiting up. I couldn’t imagine some of those people and the fear they had and the parents waiting to hear from loved ones.”

The Las Vegas angle to this best-of-five series was supposed to be how that city produced the last two National League MVPs after Bryant grew up playing with and against Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper. But a horrific event like this puts playoff pressure in perspective for Bryant, who revealed that his wife’s brother’s fiancée was in the middle of the attack.

“My soon-to-be sister-in-law was there and running right with the crowd,” Bryant said. “A lot of friends (were there). I’ve heard a lot of stories about some friends who thankfully weren’t hurt. So many people were hurt, and it’s sad to think that some people’s kids and parents and uncles aren’t going to be there anymore. It’s just sad.”

Bryant fully accepts his role as an ambassador for , standing in one corner of the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park on Thursday and answering waves of questions from reporters. He’s spoken with Harper and wants to do something more for Las Vegas after taping a public-service announcement and noticing the six-hour waits to donate blood. He understands there’s so much more to his hometown than just The Strip.

“We play baseball for a living, but there’s way more important things,” Bryant said. “It’s been really touching to see the community come together like that. The response from everybody — people want to help and they have way too much blood being donated. It’s unbelievable to see people come together when we need it.”

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NBC Sports Chicago Looking at Cubs turnaround through eyes of Theo Epstein’s ‘mistake,’ Edwin Jackson By Patrick Mooney

WASHINGTON – During a dog and pony show the Cubs arranged for season-ticket holders after a last-place season, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein gave an honest appraisal of Edwin Jackson’s four-year, $52 million contract.

“We wouldn’t do it over again,” Epstein told the audience at the Oriental Theatre in downtown Chicago. “It’s a mistake.”

This was October 2014: two weeks before the news broke that manager Joe Maddon opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays; two months before Jon Lester decided to take a $155 million leap of faith; six months before Kris Bryant and made their big-league debuts; and 362 days before Jake Arrieta silenced the blackout crowd at PNC Park and beat the in the 2015 National League wild-card showdown.

That made it so surreal to see Jackson in Washington Nationals gear on Thursday afternoon, chatting with two Cubs beat writers before the start of what should be a classic best-of-five NL Division Series. Jackson sat at his locker in the home clubhouse at Nationals Park, directly across the room from where the media swarmed superstar Bryce Harper.

“No one ever said that anyone’s career would be successful at all times, especially after signing a big contract,” Jackson said. “It was unfortunate then that I didn’t pitch like I wanted to. It definitely wasn’t from (lack of) work. It definitely wasn’t from attitude. It wasn’t from confidence. It was just things weren’t going my way.

“I’ve read the comments. I’ve had people come up and ask me how I feel about Theo saying this, or Theo saying that, things were a mistake. I mean, it is what it is. You have to have an answer for things when they don’t go your way. That was his answer.

“But that’s the game. I don’t get worried about things I can’t control. That’s he said, she said. It’s all irrelevant to me. At the end of the day, no one is harder on myself than I am. No one expects more out of themselves than I do. That’s just the way it is.”

The Cubs released Jackson in the middle of that breakthrough 2015 season, which began with the telling Google Maps incident. That’s when he went to the wrong complex in and didn’t show up on time for a Cactus League start against the Oakland A’s, the team that moved into the old Mesa facility where the Cubs used to train.

Jackson went 16-34 with a 5.37 ERA in 82 games (58 starts) as a Cub, playing for three different managers in 2013, 2014 and 2015 while earning respect for the way he interacted with teammates and the media.

“It takes a combination of having the players to do it and also having the mindset of knowing how to win,” Jackson said. “You tell people that and they don’t quite understand it. But you have to learn how to win. You have to learn how to close games. You got to have the personnel to do it as well. You could see it going in a direction where they were getting the personnel in there to finish games and win games.”

Now 34 years old, Jackson could have retired and lived comfortably with his family, but he kept bouncing around with the Atlanta Braves, , Padres and . He signed a minor-league deal in June with the Nationals, so he could play for Dusty Baker and rejoin the organization where he won 10 games for a 98-win team in 2012.

It’s amazing to think that: Jackson made 13 starts (5-6, 5.07 ERA) for this 97-win Washington juggernaut; a front office so focused on timing and intangibles misread a free agent while the Cubs weren’t really spending like a big- market team; and this star-crossed franchise finally won the World Series the last year his contract was still on the books.

“I watched some of it,” Jackson said. “I caught bits and pieces of it. It was interesting. It was their year last year. Things went their way. They played good and they won the close ballgames. The games they were down, they would come back. Things would happen and they would come back and take the lead and win.

“When things are going for you, they’re going for you in the game. And when things aren’t, they aren’t. The only thing you can do as a player is just go out and continue to battle and never feel like you’re down.”

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NBC Sports Chicago The Nationals NLDS rotation spells good news for the Cubs By Tony Andracki

Barring anything absolutely nuts or Bumgarnerian, the Cubs will only face once in the National League Division Series, even if it stretches to five games.

There's also the possibility the Cubs don't even have to face Scherzer at all.

Dusty Baker announced the Washington Nationals' Game 1 starter only Thursday morning, but MASN's Mark Zuckerman is hearing from sources Gio Gonzalez will get the ball in Game 2, pushing Scherzer back to Chicago for Game 3 Monday, at the earliest.

Scherzer "tweaked" his hamstring in his final start of the regular season last weekend and that issue will keep him out of the first two games in D.C. this weekend.

He was supposed to throw a bullpen Wednesday, but that was pushed back to Thursday. Baker explained why:

"We didn't want him to test it [Wednesday]," Baker said. "He threw some flat ground, but every day is important. When you have a nagging injury, every day is important for our trainers to evaluate it, put hands on him, and see if he's still sore or if he's feeling great."

Based on the typical routine of starting , they rarely throw a full bullpen only two days before they are to appear in a game. Which means if Scherzer is first getting on a mound Thursday to test his hamstring, it's hard to see him getting the ball Saturday evening in Game 2, which lends credence to what Zuckerman's sources are telling him.

If Scherzer cannot go in Game 2, that would almost assuredly take him out of the running to throw at all in a winner-take-all Game 5 if the series gets that far. Doubt the Nationals would throw a less-than-healthy Scherzer on Monday and then have him start or relieve on a sub-100 percent hamstring Thursday with just two days of rest in between.

With the scheduled off-days Sunday and Wednesday, the starter for Games 1 and 2 for both teams would be fresh and on normal rest to throw in a Game 5.

"We realize that if he pitched Game 2, he could probably pitch Game 5 if necessary," Baker said. "We realize that, but is that worth, you know, taking a chance, and if you get past the first round and then are you jeopardizing the second round? So you have to kind of weigh both. But you know, the health of Max, I think, is number one."

We've already seen the Nationals prioritize the long-term health ramifications of their players over winning when they shut down Strasburg in the 2012 postseason. But then again, that move hasn't worked out so well for the franchise, so maybe the added pressure has changed things in our nation's capital?

Scherzer is the frontrunner (in my eyes, at least) for the NL , as he went 16-6 with a 2.51 ERA in 31 starts. He led the league in (268), WHIP (0.902), hits per nine innings (5.7) and complete games (2).

To be sure: Strasburg, Gonzalez and Illinois native Tanner Roark are no slouches.

Strasburg has been lights-out since the All-Star Break, going 6-1 with a 0.86 ERA, 0.814 WHIP and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. But he also only pitched 62.2 innings due to an elbow issue that kept him sidelined from July 23 to Aug. 19.

Gonzalez actually led the Nats staff in innings (201) and games started (32) while pitching the second-best year of his career with a 15-9 record and 2.96 ERA.

Roark a Wilmington, Illinois native who played his college ball at the University of Illinois — had a 4.67 ERA and 1.335 WHIP this season, but last year, he had a 2.83 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and won 16 games. But he's alowed 14 baserunners in 7 career postseason innings between 2014 and last fall.

No matter what way you look at it, the Cubs would catch a serious break by not having to face Scherzer twice.

Whenever Scherzer does throw in this series — if at all — the Cubs and Joe Maddon will have some serious lineup questions. The veteran right-hander is absolutely, insanely dominant against right-handed hitters, holding them to a microscopic .136 average and .425 OPS. Lefties, meanwhile, are hitting .215 with a .692 OPS and have 16 homers off Scherzer compared to only 6 llongballs from righties.

That means Maddon has two choices: 1) write out a lineup with catching over and only one of Javy Baez or Addison Russell playing with switch-hitters Ian Happ or Ben Zobrist or the left- handed-hitting playing second base or 2) Keep Contreras, Baez and Russell all in the lineup vs. Scherzer and be forced to sacrifice offense for defense.

We'll see what way the Cubs opt to play it when the time comes, but it's really hard to envision Contreras, Russell or Baez ever out of the starting lineup for any game this October if they're all fully healthy.

Now, at least, it appears Maddon only has to make those tough decisions for one game.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs no longer the story but still a story for baseball’s postseason By Phil Rosenthal

Ahab had his whale in "Moby Dick." The newsreel reporter in "" had Rosebud. For Wile E. Coyote, there always will be the Road Runner. And, going into the playoffs last year, there was the Cubs' century-plus quest for a World Series title.

Some chases are so enduring and epic that their stories eclipse everything else around them. So it was with the Cubs, who at last in November managed to end their run of frustration and helped attract baseball's biggest World Series TV audience in years.

But if "Transformers: The Last Knight" had a message, it's that people in 2017 don't necessarily want to see a sequel.

It's not yet clear what Major League Baseball storyline or storylines the media will run with in the playoffs and World Series. There are plenty of possible threads to pick up — in Cleveland, Los Angeles, Houston and elsewhere — if the Cubs' bid to repeat as World Series champions for the first time since 1907-08 doesn't prove as compelling as the first go-round.

"The Cubs have kind of been swept under the rug because of all the great stories in baseball this year," said Kevin Burkhardt, Fox Sports' pregame and postgame host for the playoffs and World Series. "They have hit their stride at the right time. They're going to be an extremely tough out."

It was just too perfect that the Cubs redemption last year in Game 7, in the 10th inning, after a rain delay, came by edging the Indians, whose title drought was second only to that of the Cubs.

The scenario couldn't have been more theatrical if Fox's cameras had panned up from the on-field celebration to the night sky and superimposed "The End" on screen and rolled credits.

That could set the stage for this postseason to be presented as baseball's version of " II," the one where Rocky Balboa finally wins a fight, with the Indians as Rocky.

Or, still hoping for their first World Series title since 1948, they could be cast as Charlie Brown with Lucy and the football.

"Especially since the Cubs did break that curse, I wonder if it feels the same way in Cleveland," Burkhardt said. "Is there that Cubsian curse that they feel they can't get a break?"

The Indians, whose late-season streak of 22 games without a loss or tie is unprecedented in major-league baseball's long history, are Burkhardt's pick for the best team in baseball. In many ways, they're teed up to assume the lead role in the postseason narrative the Cubs enjoyed last year.

"They're a team that has the world behind them, they're everybody's darling and favorite," said Casey Stern, who's hosting TBS' National League playoff pregame and postgame shows.

"Cleveland is definitely going to be the feel-good story," , the 2007 NL Most Valuable Player working now for TBS, said. "You look at them and you have Mr. Smiles leading the way. Everybody likes that feel-good story, but at the end of the day it's still going to be the big-market cities."

Rollins' guess is it will be the Dodgers driving the story. They were on a tear all season until hitting a late-season rough patch and are, in their own way, also overdue.

The Dodgers have won the NL West five years in a row and seven of the last 10 seasons. Yet they are 29 years removed not only from their last World Series championship but also their last pennant.

That's the franchise's longest dry spell between NL flags since joining the league as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in 1890.

"The Dodgers can do it all," Hall of Famer and TBS contributor Pedro Martinez said. "Now what they need is (pitcher Clayton) Kershaw to give them a little push, but the other guys need to remain consistent."

As streaks go, the Nationals, the Cubs' opening opponent, never have been to the World Series, a run of disappointment that dates back to the birth of the ballclub as the Montreal Expos in 1969.

The nation's capital, for that matter, hasn't had a pennant winner since 1933 and World Series championship since 1924 with the franchise that eventually became the Minnesota Twins.

Then there's the Diamondbacks, a franchise only 19 years old but winner of the 2001 World Series.

"I would not want to play Arizona (based on) what they showed me late in the year, especially how they tore up the Dodgers," Burkhardt said. "I would not want to play Arizona and nobody's thinking of them, because it's Arizona."

Similarly, Burkhardt suspects "everybody has fallen asleep on the" AL West champion Astros, last in the World Series while in the NL and losers to the White Sox in 2005.

"Because they put their division away by the All-Star break we kind of forgot about them," Burkhardt said. "They're going to be very difficult to deal with."

Despite there being little drama for the Astros in the West, there was plenty in the community they call home. The effects of Hurricane Harvey will be felt for years to come. It's a safe bet there will be stories about people there rallying around the ballclub.

Like the Cubs, the Yankees and the Red Sox typically are magnets for attention.

Like the Cubs, the lovable loser persona no longer fits the Red Sox. The once snake-bit franchise won World Series titles in 2004, '07 and '13. The media still like to reflect on team tradition and the romance of Fenway Park.

The young, wild-card Yankees aren't the intimidators they historically have been. Their last division title was five years ago and their last pennant and championship back in 2009.

"How many years can you think of — I can't in my lifetime — when the Yankees were underdogs?" Burkhardt said. "Even though I think the Indians are the best team, I don't think this is a walk with the Yanks."

It's the Cubs who are coming off a championship, the Cubs who have been to the league championship series the last two seasons. It's the Cubs who have rallied back after being down both last postseason and midway through this year's regular season.

"They were at critical points and they showed resilience," Burkhardt said. "I don't think you can put a number on that, and they are going to be extremely tough to deal with."

That's the stories for now, anyway. When Wile E. Coyote catches the Road Runner, a rewrite is needed. Baseball's postseason script is up for revision with every pitch.

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Chicago Tribune No lineup shakeup in store as Cubs prepare for Stephen Strasburg By Mark Gonzales

Manager Joe Maddon doesn't anticipate any major changes in the Cubs lineup Friday night after the Nationals opted for Stephen Strasburg to start Game 1 of the National League Division Series in place of injured Max Scherzer.

"There might have been one adjustment only," Maddon said.

The only minor difference is that Albert Almora Jr. is 2-for-6 with two doubles lifetime against Strasburg but hasn't faced Scherzer, whose first start in the NLDS could be pushed back to Monday's Game 3 because of a right hamstring injury.

Left fielder Kyle Schwarber hasn't faced Strasburg or Scherzer, but Jason Heyward, who is a combined 19-for-48 against them, isn't looking at past history as a measuring stick.

"I faced (Strasburg) enough, but it's a new season and I'm in a new division," said Heyward, who also pointed to Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks going hitless in 11 career at-bats against of the Rockies before hitting a in Wednesday's NL wild-card game.

Roster update: The Cubs' NLDS roster must be submitted by 10 a.m. Friday, but Maddon wouldn't reveal any details.

That included the role of pitcher John Lackey, who appears headed for a bullpen role if Jake Arrieta's right hamstring continues to improve.

Arrieta said his leg felt better, which lines him up for a start Tuesday in Game 4, if necessary.

Experience matters: Nationals manager Dusty Baker played in three World Series with the Dodgers, so he knows the value of experience that the Cubs point to as an advantage in the NLDS.

"I've been on repeat (champions) as a player," Baker said. "The feeling that you have, and the feeling of confidence and not the panic, that's an advantage to them somewhat that they have been there.

"But we've been close ourselves. So this is going to be a heck of a postseason."

Reliever , who pitched in three postseasons with the Athletics (2012-14), concurred with Baker's thoughts.

"Having played all the way through a Game 7 of the World Series does count for something," Doolittle said. "That's not to say there are a lot of guys in here with a lot of playoff experience, a lot of guys who have won some World Series.

"We do have enough experience that neither one of these teams is going to get caught off guard by the energy of the situation."

Cubs projected Game 1 lineup and NLDS roster

LF Ben Zobrist Could play RF, only hit off Strasburg a home run.

3B Kris Bryant Needs to carry strong finish into playoffs.

1B Anthony Rizzo Rest after division clinching should help.

C Willson Contreras Could play largest role in lineup.

SS Addison Russell Secret weapon? Started one game vs. Nationals in '17.

RF Jason Heyward .405 lifetime vs. Strasburg.

CF Albert Almora Jr. 2-for-6, two doubles vs. Strasburg.

2B Javier Baez Duplication of 2016 NLDS performance could be needed.

Reserves

C Alex Avila Fifth postseason but in bench role this time.

INF Tommy La Stella Developed into one of NL's best pinch hitters.

OF Ian Happ Switch-hitting, ability to play multiple positions a plus.

OF Jon Jay Five postseasons should serve him well.

OF Kyle Schwarber All or nothing role in NLDS?

Rotation

Kyle Hendricks Team's best starter during stretch drive; never rattled.

LH Jon Lester Good health could enhance career 2.79 ERA vs. Nationals.

Jose Quintana First playoff appearance of six-year MLB career.

RH Jake Arrieta Nationals have given him fits; right hamstring a concern.

RH John Lackey Seasoned insurance policy if Arrieta isn't ready.

Bullpen

Wade Davis Veteran closer has been at his best in postseason.

Carl Edwards Jr. Could be called upon to face lefties.

Brian Duensing Ready to face Murphy, Harper.

Mike Montgomery Could play bigger role with rotation's health issues.

Hector Rondon Regained 98-mph , confidence.

Pedro Strop No time for bouts of wildness.

Justin Wilson Has shown enough flashes to contribute.

Nationals projected Game 1 lineup

SS

RF Bryce Harper

3B

2B Daniel Murphy

1B

LF Jayson Werth

C Matt Wieters

CF Michael Taylor

Reserves

C Jose Lobaton

INF Wilmer Difo

1B

OF Alejandro De Aza

OF

OF Victor Robles

Rotation

Stephen Strasburg

Gio Gonzalez

Max Scherzer

Tanner Roark

Bullpen

Matt Albers

Sean Doolittle

Matt Grace

Brandon Kintzler

Ryan Madson

Oliver Perez

Enny Romero

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Chicago Tribune To choke up or not to choke up? Cubs' Joe Maddon likes 'B' hack mentality By Teddy Greenstein

On a September night in Tampa, a artist dueled a batter who hates to go down swinging.

Chris Archer won the battle, getting Anthony Rizzo to chase an 0-2 breaking ball down and in. Rizzo whipped his bat into the dirt in disgust.

"I'm not a fan of striking out," Rizzo said of his two-strike mindset.

Said Cubs hitting coach : "It's a pleasure to see someone who does not accept strikeouts."

Rizzo not only led the Cubs in home runs with 32, he easily had the best walk-to-strikeout ratio among regulars. He earned 91 free passes and whiffed 90 times.

Also impressive: Ben Zobrist (54 walks, 71 strikeouts), Tommy La Stella (20 walks, 18 strikeouts) and, considering his power, Kris Bryant (95 walks, 128 strikeouts).

On the other end of the scale: Javier Baez (30 walks, 144 strikeouts) and Kyle Schwarber (59 walks, 150 strikeouts).

Schwarber said he chokes up a bit throughout his entire at-bat, whereas Rizzo and the Reds' Joey Votto (134 walks, 83 strikeouts) are more likely to do it with two strikes.

"(Rizzo) and Votto are most notable for that, and it's cool to watch," Schwarber said. "You could see (Rizzo) put a ball in play to the left or a put a ball in the seats on the right. It works for him."

Rizzo chokes up dramatically with two strikes and used to shake his hips and derriere as he dug in.

"I don't know what he was doing," Bryant said with a grin. "He kind of gets made fun of sometimes for that, but I'll tell you what, it works. He's one of the best hitters because of it. The rhythm and the choking up all go together."

Bryant was actually the Cubs' best two-strike hitter this season, batting .225 with an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .716. Rizzo hit .190 with an OPS of .586.

That's a falloff from his superb 2016 numbers, when he hit .243 with two strikes and posted a .727 OPS, fourth- best among National League regulars.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who is passionate on the subject of two-strike hitting, had to love those results.

Maddon did something unusual during spring training of 2016. On the heels of the Cubs striking out a major-league high 1,518 times, he gathered his hitters in an indoor batting cage and stressed the importance of what he calls "the 'B' hack."

"The essence of the 'B' hack," he said, "is to choke up, look 'away' first and keep your fastball hack loaded. The mental adaptation with two strikes is where that begins. Choking up can lead to that thought, but it's incredibly difficult to get guys to want to do that.

"It has to be nurtured it in the minor leagues or college ball, but lots of times these guys hit third or fourth in college, not (figuring) they will be hitting seventh or eighth in a major-league situation. It's a lost art, in a sense."

Maddon got results after instituting a rallying cry of "'B' hack 'em!" in 2016. The Cubs reduced their whiffs by more than one per game, cutting their strikeout rate to a league-average level. It upticked this season, from 21.1 to 22.2 percent of plate appearances.

"Obviously there's no batting average when you strike out," Mallee said, "so in certain situations where contact is essential, (that two-strike mindset) is really a pleasure to see.

"Some people weigh the situation. With two outs and nobody on, the probability of scoring a runner from first is pretty slim. So in those situations, doubles are better because you need only one (more) hit to score. So there are acceptable strikeouts and other times you don't want to strike out."

Mallee's version of Maddon's "B'' hack is to stress "same pattern, smaller movements. There's a speed-accuracy tradeoff as a hitter. With momentum, you create more speed. And more speed equals more power. But there's a tradeoff, and you have to weigh that based on the situation.

"Albert Almora, he's doing a really good job. Ian Happ has taken to that, shortened up his leg kick with two strikes and is making more contact. Schwarber is doing it. I think guys understand and are weighing the situation."

Rewind 11 months. Zobrist understood his situation in Game 7 of the World Series: Tie game, 10th inning, one out, Almora at second. With the Indians' Bryan Shaw ahead 1-2 in the count, Zobrist choked up and "went to his 'B' hack," as described by author in "The Cubs Way."

Zobrist lined a past third base, bringing home the tie-breaking run.

Maddon described the "B" hack mentality as "one of those light-bulb moments. We have talked about it. I have had that meeting. We did it in spring training last year, did it again this year.

"They understand: 'OK, choke up, look away first. I get it.' Then here comes the bottom of the eighth and the guy is throwing 97 and you're just trying to move the baseball. What do I do here? How do I slow these thoughts down? That's the maturation process."

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Chicago Tribune Should you be worried Cubs are worry-free this October? By Paul Sullivan

There's no doubt this October journey has a much different vibe for the Cubs than the last two years.

There may be no more relaxed team entering the postseason after the Cubs proved themselves last year and rose from the dead in back-to-back series triumphs over the Dodgers and Indians.

"We didn't let it affect us, but if you look back on it, the pressure was through the roof, off the charts," Anthony Rizzo said Thursday at Nationals Park. "To break a curse, the way we did it, the series we did it through, the teams we beat …

"I don't see it being any easier this time around, but we're built for it. I think we're ready for it."

So the Cubs are ready, but, as even after a championship, there are always a few things to worry about heading into October:

That guy again: Oh, it's that Murphy guy — again.

When he was with the Mets, Nationals Daniel Murphy personally destroyed the Cubs' chances in the 2015 National League Championship Series, homering off Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and in successive games while winning MVP honors in the sweep.

This year that guy Murphy hit .360 with three home runs in 25 at-bats against the Cubs, including .545 in three games at Wrigley Field.

"I don't know, my numbers may be better during the day anywhere," that guy said. "I feel like I see the ball a little bit better, and you play more day games (at Wrigley). I don't know if that has anything to do with it. Sometimes the hits fall in certain places, and sometimes they don't."

Sure. That guy Murphy owns Wrigley Field. He just owns it.

"I don't know about owning it," that guy said. "It's a fun place to come. Good club and exciting baseball."

Oh, that guy.

Short series uncertainty: Anything can happen in a short series, and usually does.

"We have the home-field advantage, and it's important," Nats GM said. "The games in the front of the series are important, and it's a short series. The seven-games (series) are much different than a five-games (series). It's a little bit more difficult. You're hoping you get out of the gate fast and win a couple of those early games."

If Max Scherzer can't pitch until Game 3, the Cubs have a better chance of at least splitting the first two as they come home to Wrigley.

If not, they could face Scherzer down 0-2.

"If he's not able to go Game 2, he's probably not going to be able to go Game 5," Anthony Rizzo said. "From that standpoint you have one of the best pitchers of our generation not going two games if it goes five. … It's definitely a little blow for them, but he's a gamer."

Anxiety-free anxiety: Face it, you're used to going into the postseason feeling like your stomach is filled with a million bees doing the twist in there.

Now that the Cubs finally have won a World Series, the stress has been alleviated somewhat.

"Our guys are excited to play in the postseason," Cubs President Theo Epstein said. "There's no anxiety, there's no nervousness in a negative way. It's just pure excitement. I think once you've tasted success in the postseason, it makes you really, really eager to get back there and do it again. Our guys are really raring to go."

Should you feel any anxiety over the Cubs' lack of anxiety?

If so, seek help immediately.

Dusty Baker's prayers: Baker has been pointing to this postseason series for two years, saying it was "written" the Nationals and Cubs would meet.

"All you got to do is believe it," he said.

Now it's finally here. Baker said it's "personal" but makes everything personal to "get motivated."

Baker, who has no contract for 2018, is motivated, and that trickles down to his players. Whether that translates on the field remains to be seen.

Still, Baker is at a crossroads.

"That's what it is," he said. "And when I get at a crossroads, my dad told me 'Pray on it and the Lord will tell you which way to go. If you be still and wait on it, and see it for what it's worth, the answer will come to you."

Will Dusty's prayers be answered?

They're human: Cubs manager Joe Maddon told the players before the start of the postseason he was proud of the way they came back from their first-half malaise.

"We're humans, we're not robots, and I was always confident we would turn into the team we have," he said.

Of course, humans make mistakes. Humans get injured. And humans also serve as umpires, for better or worse.

The Cubs could lose on account of human error.

It happens.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs youngsters eager to take greater ownership in NLDS By Mark Gonzales

With Jon Lester not starting until Game 2, Jake Arrieta's tender right hamstring preventing him from pitching until Game 4 and John Lackey facing an uncertain role, the time has arrived for the Cubs' youngsters to take their biggest steps forward, starting Friday night in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

That means catcher Willson Contreras, 25, will have the dual tasks of shutting down Nationals speedster Trea Turner on the basepaths while providing offense behind Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.

Second baseman Javier Baez, 24, one of the stars of the Cubs' run to the title, will be called upon to provide exceptional defensive range and duplicate the clutch hitting he displayed in the NLDS clincher against the Giants last October.

And shortstop Addison Russell, 23, will look to make up for an uneven season by supplying clutch hitting in the middle of the order and making accurate throws with regularity.

"You've got to take advantage of the opportunities when you have them," said Bryant, 25, who has reached the postseason in all three of his seasons. "We're really excited we have another chance at that.

"We're not always going to be this young. So when we do get these chances, pounce on them and go out there and compete. It's pretty cool to have this group of guys who have been there for three years to have a chance to do it again."

The Cubs have embraced their underdog label despite winning 15 of their final 19 games and not facing Nationals ace Max Scherzer in Game 1.

With Scherzer's status uncertain because of a tweaked hamstring, Stephen Strasburg will get the Game 1 start against the Cubs' Kyle Hendricks, 27.

Another Cubs youngster, 24-year-old left fielder Kyle Schwarber, feels cleansed after rebounding in the second half from a midseason demotion to Triple-A Iowa.

"It feels good we're in this time of the year where everything turns to zero, and it doesn't really matter what you did in the regular season," Schwarber said.

Team officials also look for the young core to take greater ownership on a large stage.

"It's exciting because hopefully it leaves our window open for a while," said Jason McLeod, senior vice president of scouting and player development. "And hopefully it gives us a longer window of time for our players who are going to be breaking into the major-league club over the next couple years to watch how these guys conduct themselves and understand what the expectations are and what we're all about and the 'W' and winning."

Nationals pitcher Edwin Jackson got a glimpse of Bryant, Baez, Russell and Schwarber during his final months with the Cubs in 2015 and saw the value of youngsters getting experience early in their careers.

"That's the future," Jackson said. "You saw those guys when they were young, coming up. You knew they had talent, and once they got their chance to go out and prove it, they took advantage of the situation and went out and played good baseball.

"It was big for them because they can come in and be comfortable with the situation, and they're not going to try to overdo it because they've already been there at a young age. That's huge because this is a big stage. A lot of people are watching. There's a lot more pressure put on these games than the regular-season games.

"But to be able to have a young group that can handle it, that won't fold under pressure, that's a lot."

BIG NUMBER

8-1: The odds posted by Bovada for the Cubs to repeat as World Series champions. The entered the 2016 playoffs as 9-5 favorites. Only two of the eight remaining teams — the Yankees and Diamondbacks at 9-1 — have longer odds. At 3-1, the Indians have the best, followed by the Dodgers (7-2), Astros (5-1), Nationals (7-1) and Red Sox (8- 1).

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Chicago Tribune Are the Nationals this year's Cubs? 'There is some pressure on us' By Paul Sullivan

Before Game 3 of the 1983 American League Championship Series, a couple of White Sox fans walked around Comiskey Park with a large white bedsheet that read: "Don't (bleep) up."

It didn't work.

Sox shortstop Jerry Dybzinski made a memorable baserunning gaffe during their Game 4 loss to the Orioles, who would go on to win the game, the ALCS and eventually the World Series.

Security was much laxer back then, so don't expect any Nationals fans to express themselves similarly when Game 1 of the National League Division Series begins Friday night in Washington.

But the sentiment is the same. Until the Nationals show they can win the big one, many of their fans will be waiting for them to blow it.

That's why the pressure is squarely on the Nationals to beat the Cubs, no matter what anyone says.

"I can't speak for the Cubs, but I embrace the pressure," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. "We've been a really, really good team for the last six seasons now and won some division titles and stuff, but our expectations always have been to win a World Series, and they continue to be that.

"Until you do it, you haven't done it. There is some pressure on us, and it's a good thing and we have some players embracing it also."

The Nationals are basically the designated Cubs of the 2017 postseason, the team trying to overcome its history of bleeping up.

If they don't win this series, it's going to be a long, cold winter in Washington. But optimism is in the air heading into the series. The Cubs finally did it in 2016, and the Nationals are capable of emulating that championship team.

"I see where there are some similarities, for sure," Nationals closer Sean Doolittle said. "One of the impressive things they had to deal with last year was everybody was talking about them. They kind of had the target on their back, even if they had the drought — the 'curse,' if you will — that they were dealing with.

"People were talking about it. There were these expectations this was going to be the year that they do it. I don't know if we have any of those (expectations)."

A Washington team hasn't won a World Series since the original Senators in 1924 and hasn't played in one since 1933. The original and expansion Senators had two winning seasons from 1946 to '71, and the city went 33 years without a team until the Expos relocated from Montreal in 2005 and changed their name to the Nationals.

How "Cubs-like" is this franchise? The Nationals' version of the "Bartman game" occurred in 2012, when they were within a strike of winning the NLDS against the Cardinals before blowing a 6-0 lead in Game 5 and losing 9-7.

Local baseball historian Frederic Frommer wrote that some fans blamed the 2012 loss on the "Curse of Theodore Roosevelt," meaning the foam-headed mascot of Teddy, not the late president.

The Nationals feature a Racing Presidents routine on the field every game like the Brewers' popular Racing Sausages, and one of the "bits" was that the Roosevelt character never won. But Teddy finally ended his losing streak on Oct. 3, 2012 — shortly before the postseason debacle.

Political adviser James Carville, a Nationals season ticket holder, said 2012 still stings.

"We've had more wins in the last five years than any team in baseball," he said. "But the thing in 2012 was one of the most haunting things in sports, and last year against the Dodgers — another heartbreaker."

Max Scherzer had a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning of Game 5 before serving up a leadoff home run, and the bullpen imploded to allow the Dodgers to advance to the NLCS against the Cubs.

Carville neglected to mention the 2014 NLDS against the Giants, in which blew a in the ninth in Game 2 and the Nationals wound up losing in 18 innings, eventually falling 3-1 in the series.

The litany of epic collapses in Washington isn't limited to the Nationals. The Capitals have choked in the Stanley Cup playoffs on a nearly annual basis; the Wizards' lone NBA title came 39 years ago (when they were the Bullets); and the Redskins haven't been to a Super Bowl since winning it after the 1991 season, Washington's last title.

If the Nationals are going to end the drought, they'll have to start with a series win over a franchise that practically had a patent on heartbreak.

"They're the world champs until someone takes it away from them," Rizzo said. "We respect that. We respect the team. We don't fear them, but we do respect them. Our goal is to beat them and to go on to win the World Series, to be where they are now."

And if that doesn't work, they can always try blowing up the foam-headed Teddy Roosevelt.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs vs. Nationals: Who has the edge in the National League Division Series? By Mark Gonzales

Offense

Willson Contreras could be the key to the Cubs offense with Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo hitting ahead of him. The Cubs rediscovered their knack for working deep counts in the final 2 1/2 weeks of the regular season, and that could serve them well against a Nationals pitching staff that has squandered chances to get out of the first round of the playoffs. For all the talk about the Cubs overcoming injuries, the Nationals took two of three at Wrigley Field on Aug. 4-6 without speedster Trea Turner. Despite the speculation over the health of Harper, Anthony Rendon remains a multi-purpose threat with his batting average, run production and ability to take the extra base. Thanks to Daniel Murphy and Rendon, the Nationals lead the league with a .290 batting average with runners in scoring position. Edge: Nationals.

Defense

The Cubs allowed three unearned runs in the final month. Despite a shaky defensive season, Bryant committed only two errors at third in the final five weeks. Don't be surprised if right fielder Jason Heyward starts in or plays center field on occasion. Contreras will be faced with the task of keeping the pitchers focused while harnessing Turner. Ben Zobrist will shift between left and occasionally right fields. The left side of the Nationals' infield is air- tight, but the same can't be said for the right side. It took a few months for catcher Matt Wieters to become acclimated to the Nationals' pitching staff, but the Cubs could test him despite not being known as a running team. Edge: Cubs.

Rotation

Jon Lester's last two starts answered doubts about the durability of his left shoulder, and a veteran scout noted the Nationals' right and left-handed batters could be in trouble if Lester replicates his last regular-season start on Saturday in Game 2. Kyle Hendricks remains the Cubs' surest bet because of his overall sharpness since returning in late July from a finger injury. Left-hander Jose Quintana gets his long-awaited goal to pitch in the playoffs against a formidable lineup. John Lackey was pounded in his only start at National Park on June 28, but he and left-hander Mike Montgomery are the lone options if Jake Arrieta's right hamstring is too tender for him to start. Max Scherzer is as dominant as any in the league, but he will need to be economically effective against a Cubs lineup determined to drive up his pitch count, esspecially with his ailing hamstring. Stephen Strasburg struck out 204 in 1751/3 innings, including a 13-strikeout performance in the 8-4 victory over Lackey and the Cubs. Strasburg is the likely Game 1 starter as Scherzer recuperates from his hamstring cramp. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez became a 15-game winner by throwing his more effectively. Left-handers batted .283 against Tanner Roark, which could put the Nationals in a tough spot if they trail 2-1 in the series. Edge: Nationals.

Bullpen

The revolving door of relievers helped the Cubs get across the finish line quickly enough to rest their weary arms. Carl Edwards Jr. could be the most important reliever in this series, with his ability to retire left-handed hitters (.119 ) as well as right-handers (.148). Nevertheless, left-handers Brian Duensing, Mike Montgomery and Justin Wilson will be used to neutralize left-handed hitters Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy. After a rough August, wasn't charged with a run in September but walked five in 92/3 innings. There's no way Wade Davis should need to pitch more than an inning in any game as he did last month. The trade deadline acquisitions of left-hander Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson and gave the Nationals one of the most formidable bullpens. Doolittle has limited right-handers to a .196 batting average. At 37, Madson's fastball has been clocked at 97 mph. Oliver Perez has improved considerably in the second half but remains exclusively a middle relief specialist. Matt Albers (0.8555 WHIP) was one of the biggest under-the-radar acquisitions by the Nationals. Edge: Nationals.

Manager

Critics still point to Joe Maddon's micromanaging of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series and his multiple lineups, but he had little choice in the latter matter because personnel and the need to develop youngsters such as Ian Happ and Albert Almora Jr. properly. The Bill James Handbook 2016 ranked Dusty Baker among the top 10 managers of all-time in constructing and handling bullpens, and that strength was bolstered with the mid-season relief help. There has been overwhelming local support for Baker to receive an extension, but his players' performance will dictate his case to a bottom-line ownership. Edge: Cubs.

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Chicago Tribune NLDS Game 1 starters: Kyle Hendricks vs. Stephen Strasburg By Paul Skrbina

Kyle Hendricks never has had the need for speed to succeed.

But the Cubs right-hander's velocity numbers across the board are down — by a significant sum — this season.

His fastball averaged 86.3 mph, according to fangraphs.com, a career-low by 2.6 mph. His sinker has sunk to 86 mph, or 2.2 mph slower than his previous low. His also is at its slowest at 79.1 mph, while his curveball is at 72.4 mph, or 3.7 mph slower than his previous slowest.

Those numbers, manager Joe Maddon believes, helped contribute to a slow start for baseball's ERA leader in 2016.

Before he was put on the disabled list with inflammation in his right middle finger in early June, Hendricks was 4-3 with a 4.09 ERA and 51 strikeouts against 21 walks in 612/3 innings.

But Maddon said he noticed a spike in Hendricks' velocity when he returned. In those 13 starts, Hendricks is 3-2 with a 2.19 ERA and 72 strikeouts against 19 walks in 78 innings.

"He's not that guy that lights up the (radar) gun," Maddon said. "He's a technician.

"I think he's pitching better right now than I've seen him at any time last year. Why? The velocity is heavier."

The mph averages pre- and post-disabled list are roughly the same, but Hendricks' velocities have been more consistent since those nearly seven weeks away.

Nationals manager Dusty Baker's thoughts turned immediately to another former Cub when he was asked about Hendricks.

"He's in the mode: He throws strikes, and tempt-me strikes," Baker said. "He's a good pitcher."

Kyle Hendricks and Stephen Strasburg have some things in common.

Neither was their team's top choice to open the postseason.

Both are in the position in part because of performance and because of hamstring issues with two former Cy Young winners — the Cubs' Jake Arrieta and the Nationals' Max Scherzer.

Neither Hendricks nor Strasburg showed much outward emotion after being named the Game 1 starters for the National League Division Series, with Hendricks calling it "an honor … and more logistics."

Strasburg left Nationals manager Dusty Baker's office Wednesday morning wearing the same, straight face as when he entered.

"I just said, 'Hey, man, you're starting Game 1. You probably figured that,'" Baker said of breaking the news to Strasburg. "I thought he was going to be like, 'Yeah,' or something."

Like Hendricks for the Cubs, Strasburg has been the Nationals' best pitcher recently.

The right-hander didn't allow an earned run for 35 straight scoreless innings this season, a franchise record and the most in baseball this year.

He hasn't permitted a home run in his last seven starts, during which he's 5-0 with a 0.57 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 472/3 innings.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to pitch in the playoffs again," Strasburg said. "You have to make the most of every opportunity you get."

This will be Strasburg's second opportunity. He was left off the 2012 postseason roster when the team decided to stick to the innings limit it set after he returned from Tommy John surgery he had in 2010. He made one start in the 2014 NLDS.

Scherzer likely won't start until at least Game 3.

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Chicago Sun-Times TELANDER: There’s more than one way to skin a Nat By Rick Telander

There are many ways to get to the World Series, and the Cubs have demonstrated two of them.

Well, one way, for sure.

In 2016, they simply blew out of the gates with the best team in baseball, finishing with a major-league-best 103- 58 record. They then rode through the postseason and hung on to beat the Indians in the seventh game of the World Series.

That, of course, marked the Cubs’ first championship in 108 years.

Another way to get to the summit is the way this year’s team will (might) do it.

That would be to struggle through the regular season, never being certain until the end about beating out the Brewers or Cardinals for the division title, then going up against a powerhouse in the first round like the Nationals.

This year, the Cubs finished with a 92-70 record, not bad, considering that as late as Aug. 10 they were only five games above .500. But they didn’t steamroll to the postseason. It wasn’t the wild, hilarious hayride of 2016.

And now they face a team that went 97-65 and that some folks believe has the best pitching staff in the National League. Even if ace Max Scherzer is hampered by a strained hamstring, that still leaves flaming-hot Stephen Strasburg to lead the way. Indeed, Scherzer, Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, reliever Matt Albers and closer Sean Doolittle all have ERAs under 3.00.

And that’s only the pitching side. Cubs fans will remember Daniel Murphy, the slugger who bedeviled the Cubs in the 2015 postseason while with the Mets. Unfortunately, he’s now with the Nats, and as Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday, ‘‘I still wish he was a Met.’’

Then there’s everybody’s candidate for Mr. Feisty But Talented, Bryce Harper. The bearded fellow missed 51 games because of injury, but he still scored a team-high 95 runs, hit 29 home runs and 27 doubles and knocked in 87 runs.

It’s also necessary to mention speedy shortstop Trea Turner, who stole 46 bases in an era in which it seems that nobody steals anything but simply waits on base to be knocked in by a homer.

Then, if the Cubs were to get past the Nationals, they likely would face the powerful Dodgers, a baffling team that was a full 50 games above .500 in mid-August before imploding and scuffling the rest of the way. They likely scuffled because there was no challenge after taking that massive division lead. But who knows?

Obviously, we’re way ahead of ourselves here. But the one thing that has to be mentioned is the Cubs’ drive for a World Series last year and their drive this year cannot possibly be the same, motivation-wise.

Last year, the ghosts of cats and goats and Moises Alou and and ancient ladies glued to transistor radios all over America swirled around the Cubs like vapors from a haunted swamp. This year? Hey, a repeat would be nice. But not necessary.

It’s hard to say if that lack of urgency is a good thing or a bad thing. Pressure can push teams to great heights or make them choke.

The Nationals never have achieved greatness in their history — which dates back to 2005. Before that, they were the Montreal Expos, but it’s hard to think of Gary Carter and Vladimir Guerrero as part of the Nationals’ timeline.

There’s no question Nats general manager and Chicago native Mike Rizzo (a onetime Cubs fan) would love to send the Cubs back to Chicago down 2-0 for the next two games at Wrigley Field. There’s no question he’d like to break the budding jinx that seems to sink the Nats whenever they get close to a big goal.

We won’t even bring up Nats skipper Dusty Baker, who once managed the Cubs and didn’t leave town feeling all sweet and rosy about his experience in Chicago.

So the Cubs’ map to another year of greatness is laid out (did we mention the American League darling Indians?) with all its looming bumps and hurdles.

It might not be possible to repeat, but it should be fun trying.

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Chicago Sun-Times Can stronger Cubs back up owner’s boast in return to Washington? By Gordon Wittenmyer

WASHINGTON — The last time the Cubs were in this city, their season was nearing the halfway point, and bottoming out.

It didn’t stop them from taking another World Series victory lap with an unprecedented second White House trip to see a second president.

And it didn’t stop Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts, who helped arrange the June 28 visit, from boasting about returning in October to face the Nationals in the playoffs.

“We’re going to run into these guys in the playoffs, and you’ll come down, and you’ll see them crumble,” Ricketts said to President Trump.

It's a different Cubs team that takes on the Nats this week than the one that stumbled into Washington in June, say Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.

Said Trump: “Probably will.”

When asked about it the next day, Nationals manager Dusty Baker was dismissive.

“What are we going to crumble from?” the former Cubs manager said. “We’re not playing Todd.”

Fast forward more than three months, and the personalities, politics and sideshow possibilities that this National League Division Series represent could only get better if Trump and Ricketts show up for Game 1 on Friday night with rolls of paper towels to throw to the fans.

For now, it’s Baker vs. the team that kicked him to the curb before a $300 million spending spree after the 2006 season. It’s the Nationals vs. their own recent history of first-round playoff failures. It’s respective aces Max Scherzer and Jake Arrieta vs. their strained hamstrings.

And, perhaps more than anything else, it’s a different Cubs team — and a far different vibe — that occupies the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park than the one that started Eddie Butler in the opener in June and that looked like it might come apart at the seams by the time it left town.

Three Cubs who played in that series aren’t in the organization anymore, including catcher Miguel Montero, who was designated for assignment the day after criticizing Arrieta for contributing to seven Nationals stolen bases in a 6-1 loss to Scherzer.

“That series in some ways sort of summed up our first half,” Cubs general manager said. “It definitely wasn’t our best self by any stretch. We were a little banged up. We had some internal stuff going on. We were able to scramble to split the series, but it definitely wasn’t decisive; it wasn’t clean; it wasn’t pretty.”

Said first baseman Anthony Rizzo: “Somehow we managed to get two here, which we felt like was a series win. But it was June. This is October. And we have history here, with this group in October that’s good history, good feeling, good vibes.”

The Cubs traded for Jose Quintana, rested at the break and had the best record in the league in the second half. They were four games better in the second half than the Nationals, who did manage to give the Cubs one of their five series losses of the half.

The Cubs’ overall health and their starting pitching significantly improved after the break.

So did the Nationals’ bullpen and, by the end of the season, the renewed health of leadoff man Trea Turner and former MVP Bryce Harper.

The Cubs don’t enter this postseason with the galvanizing shared purpose of ending a curse or the pressure of it.

“I don’t care what anyone says, there was pressure last year,” Rizzo said. “We didn’t let it really affect us, but when you look back on it, the pressure was through the roof, to break a curse, to do it the way we did it, the teams we beat. I don’t see it being any easier this time around, but I think we’re built for it, and I think we’re ready for it.”

A lot more than they were the last time they were here.

“Looking at how we turned it around, I guess that says a lot about our team,” reigning MVP Kris Bryant said, “just the characters we have here. The character of the people we have here. We do have characters here, too.”

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Chicago Sun-Times What’s with the poker face, Bryce Harper? Just smile like Kris Bryant By Steve Greenberg

WASHINGTON — Six minutes and eight seconds.

That’s how long superstar right fielder Bryce Harper spent with a cluster of playoff media Thursday in the home clubhouse at Nationals Park. And, boy, were we ever entertained. For 6:08, he answered questions in unbroken monotone. For 6:08, he gave us unflinching expressionlessness.

Is this the NLDS or the World Series of Poker?

“We’re just excited to be here,” he began, and things only picked up steam from there.

Here’s what Harper had to say about facing the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks in Game 1 on Friday: “I’m not really worried about who’s on the mound or anything like that.”

And here’s what he had to say about starring opposite Kris Bryant, his former youth travel-ball teammate in Las Vegas and, according to the nastiest of rumors, his (gasp) friend: “I’m not really worried about him or how he’s going to do.”

What a charmer this guy is.

There’s a lot Harper has in common with Bryant. Where they’re from, of course. Their ages; Harper, who’ll turn 25 in a little over a week, is nine months younger. Their elite standing in the game, as back-to-back -National League MVPs, starting with Harper in 2015.

They are the faces of their respective franchises, but that’s also where the differences between these great players begin. Harper came into the league with a “clown question, bro” in 2012 and often wears the glazed look of a celebrity being hounded by paparazzi. Bryant’s approach is decidedly different — he kills ’em with kindness.

You know that iceberg-melting smile you see on Bryant’s face in photos and on television? He has one of those for everybody he encounters, right down to the pushiest, most annoying writers. And that’s on an everyday basis.

“I pride myself on being a respectable guy that smiles often, even if I don’t want to smile,” Bryant said. “Just treat people respectfully, you know? That’s how I was raised. That’s how my parents treated everybody they ran into, and I learned from them and saw them. So there’s no other way I’d rather be.”

I asked Bryant the other day about , a player who, like Bryant, broke into the league in a major market and found instant, enormous success. A young Jeter was warm and friendly, but eventually he put up walls. Too much media attention. Only so many smiles to give.

What happens when Bryant is a couple of years older, a couple of years more seasoned and more — come on, he’s human — jaded? What happens when he’s 30? When he’s 35? When does he say to hell with it and become crankier, or more rigid, as so many athletes of his stature have done? When do the walls start going up?

Too much work, according to Bryant.

“The game is hard enough,” he said. “It’s an emotional roller coaster as it is. You have to get off it or it’ll destroy you.”

Harper is doing things his way. It’s not like he isn’t thriving. Hey, whatever works. Although the monotone and the poker face sure aren’t going to win him any popularity contests.

Bryant, meanwhile, figures he’ll stick with the Mr. Nice Guy routine no matter how outsized the attention and demands that come his way.

“I don’t think I’ll have too much trouble with all of it,” Bryant said, “but that’s why I like to stay home a lot, so I can feel normal. Jeter was in New York and was single; it was all blown up around him. But all the more props to him for being able to perform on the field with all that attention on him. I don’t know if there are many people in the game who could handle that.

“But I try not to get too worked up about any of that stuff. Just be a good person, a good guy. It goes a long way.”

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Chicago Sun-Times MORRISSEY: Cubs trying to put the pressure on Nationals. All of it. By Rick Morrissey

WASHINGTON — The Cubs are engaging in psychological warfare, with all the subtlety of an air-raid siren.

They’re implying that they, the defending World Series champions, are as relaxed as pajamas heading into their first-round playoff series and that the Nationals, having lost in the first round in 2012 and 2014, are having the dream where you’re in high school English class and realize you’ve forgotten to wear clothes.

The Nationals’ response is something along the lines of, “Are not.’’

At stake with the mind games is . . . well, I’m not sure what’s at stake. The belief that one team can make another team nervous? Does that work?

Cubs veteran Ben Zobrist got off the first salvo the other day.

“I definitely think there’s probably a little bit more pressure on them,” he said. “They haven’t been out of this first series yet. Obviously, they’re very motivated to try to do that. But they know it’s a very, very big moment for them and their organization.”

Not a big moment or even a very big moment. A very, very big moment.

The Nationals are having none of it.

“The hard part is getting here and being one of the teams that gets to the dance,’’ outfielder Jayson Werth said. “We did that. In my mind, all the pressure is off. This is all gravy.’’

Last year, the Cubs embraced being World Series favorites because it meant that they won the most regular- season games and that they were damn good. But because the Nationals won more games in 2017 than the Cubs did (97-92) and own the home-field advantage in the National League Division Series, the Cubs have the term “underdog’’ in a bear hug.

For the Nationals, it’s Game 1 of the playoffs. For the Cubs, it’s Casual Friday.

“Going forward, we have really nothing to lose,’’ Cubs pitcher Jon Lester said. “We’re still a really good team, and we should win the World Series, but Washington was the second-best team in (the NL) and the Dodgers have a lot to lose just playing so well all year. Now you get into the playoffs, put that added pressure on yourself and you start pressing and not being who you are, and you look up and you’re heading home.

“I think we’re in a good place. I like this team being underdogs. I like that. We’ve got some very prideful guys on this team.’’

A storyline certain to linger is that Nationals manager Dusty Baker has more pressure than anyone else, some of it self-imposed, some of it imposed by others. He’s in the last year of his contract and would like a new deal. Beating the Cubs would greatly enhance his chances of getting one. He probably has a more complete team than Joe Maddon does with the Cubs. The Nats’ fan base wants to win a series. Now. Or else.

Baker, a former Cubs manager, has become a punching bag for Chicago fans who blame him for everything from the 2003 NL Championship Series collapse to global warming, so it’ll be a miracle if he can get out of bed for Game 1. Is that an accurate portrayal? Probably not, but the Cubs love the idea of the opposing manager being a basket case.

Washington probably loves that the Cubs won 11 fewer games this season than they did a year ago. See? It’s all about perception.

“The fun part about this time of year is everybody goes back to zero,’’ Lester said. “I really don’t care how many wins you had during the season. I don’t care what your ERA was, what your batting average was, how many home runs you hit. Everybody’s at zero. Everybody’s at square one.’’

Nice try on the pressure angle, the Nationals say.

“What makes our team so good is the ability to block some of that other stuff out,’’ closer Sean Doolittle said.

Let the real games begin. Please.

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Chicago Sun-Times Kris Bryant reacts to Vegas shooting, says future in-law was there By Rick Morrissey and Gordon Wittenmyer

WASHINGTON — The Las Vegas concert massacre has weighed heavily on Kris Bryant, and not just because he grew up there.

The fiancée of his wife’s brother was there when a man starting shooting from a nearby hotel, killing 58 people. She was celebrating her sister’s birthday; they escaped uninjured.

“My soon-to-be sister-in-law was there running with the crowd,’’ the Cubs said. “A lot of friends, man. I’ve heard a lot of stories. Some friends thankfully weren’t hurt, but so many people were hurt. It’s sad to think about some people’s kids and parents aren’t going to be there anymore.’’

Nationals star Bryce Harper, a childhood friend of Bryant’s in Las Vegas, plans to wear custom-made cleats — including the inscription “Pray for Las Vegas” — to honor the victims when he takes the field Friday for the Nationals-Cubs playoff opener.

Bryant said he might wear something similar.

“It’s been scary, watching the news and watching the numbers rise,” Bryant said of the last few days. “You never think it’s going to happen to anywhere where you’re from or where you live, and then it does.

“It broke my heart, man. I was up all night. Thankfully, the people that were there that we knew got back to us really.”

Harper wore a hoodie with #VegasStrong across the front during workouts Thursday.

“It’s been pretty surreal,” he said. “Just talking to friends, talking to family that were definitely at the concert, and seeing things that have happened and transpired from that, it just goes to show how strong our community is in Vegas and how much of a small-knit community it can be.”

Game 1: Strasburg vs. Hendricks

The Nats said Thursday that Stephen Strasburg will start Game 1 against Kyle Hendricks on Friday, but the rest of the rotation decisions were held up by the ongoing drama surrounding Max Scherzer’s hamstring strain.

Left-hander Gio Gonzalez is expected to start Game 2 on Saturday for the Nats, with Scherzer pushed back to at least Game 3. But the Nats are keeping it fluid until they’re certain Scherzer isn’t well enough to pitch Saturday.

“It’s huge,” Bryant said of Scherzer being pushed back in the series and likely eliminating him from Game 5 consideration. “Obviously, you don’t want somebody to get hurt or anything like that.

“But hopefully we can use it to our advantage by not facing him twice.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Cubs NLDS tickets cheaper this season compared to the last two years By Madeline Kenney

For the third consecutive season, the Cubs have made it to the NLDS, and fans who want to witness October baseball at Wrigley Field are going to pay a pretty penny for tickets.

NLDS tickets at Wrigley Field are actually less expensive this year compared to the Cubs previous appearances, but they’re still the most expensive Divisional Series ticket this season.

The cheapest ticket available on the secondary market for Game 3 and 4 at Wrigley is $402, according to TicketIQ.com. The lowest ticket price at National Park for Game 1 and 2 is $141.

The Yankees have the second most expensive tickets starting at $348 a stub.

Last year, the cheapest ticket at Wrigley for the NLDS was $572, which was cheaper than 2015 when the lowest ticket available on the secondary market was $680, according to TicketIQ.com.

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Chicago Sun-Times Nationals announce NLDS Game 1 starter and Scherzer update By Madeline Kenney

In October baseball, it’s the pitching that wins championship and Nationals manager Dusty Baker said he “knows a championship’s coming.”

The Nationals offer a triple threat for starters, which includes Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Max Scherzer — that is if he’s healthy.

Strasburg has been dominant since the All-Star break, so it comes at no surprise that Baker named him their Game 1 starter for the NLDS. He’ll start against Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks on Friday at Nationals Park.

Strasburg is 4-0 in his five most recent starts with a .083 ERA. He also recorded 40 strikeouts in the 32 2/3 innings he pitched in September, which helped him earn the National League pitcher of the month honor.

Baker didn’t reveal a Game 2 or 3 starter.

Question marks still surround the status of Scherzer who “tweaked” his hamstring. Scherzer threw a bullpen session Wednesday.

“We realized that if [Scherzer] pitches Game 2 that he potentially could pitch Game 5,” Baker said. “But is it worth it?”

The Nationals are choosing between Scherzer and Gonzalez for Game 2. If Gonzalez is picked for the Game 2, Scherzer will pitch Game 3, according to Baker.

The Cubs announced their starting pitching rotation on Wednesday.

Hendricks will open up the series on Friday. Jon Lester will take the bump on Saturday for Game 2. Jose Quintana and Jake Arrieta will round out the rotation back at Wrigley Field for Game 3 and 4 (if necessary) on Monday and Tuesday.

Arrieta threw a bullpen session Wednesday. But like Scherzer, the former Cy Young winner has be hampered with a hamstring injury.

Arrieta left the mound on Sept. 4 after pitching 2 1/3 innings with a hamstring strain. He has thrown two games for 8 innings since the injury, but he’s still dealing with soreness.

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Daily Herald Chicago Cubs' Kyle Schwarber hopes to shine in postseason again By Bruce Miles

WASHINGTON -- It would be inaccurate to call Kyle Schwarber a "secret weapon" for the Chicago Cubs heading into the postseason.

After all, everybody knows what Schwarber has done in October: Big home run in the 2015 wild-card game, monstrous home run in the '15 division series and a frantic rush to get ready for the World Series last year, leading to 7 hits in 17 at-bats and helping the Cubs to their first world championship since 1908.

He has been compared to Babe Ruth. And just this week, he was asked about being Mr. October.

"Ha," he said. "Hey, I always love this time of year. It's a fun time of year. I'm sure everyone else does. It's just that time of year when things get a little bit to the wire, adrenaline starts coming out to play. It's always going to be a close ballgame. It's a fun time of year, and I really enjoy it.

"I'm already getting goose bumps thinking about it because it's just that time of the year again. It's a lot of fun."

That the 24-year-old Schwarber is able to talk about "fun" again is a credit to his own perseverance.

Things weren't much fun in the first half of the season, when the Cubs' left fielder put up a line of .178/.300/.394 with 13 homers and 29 RBI. A trip to Class AAA Iowa from June 22-July 6 seemed to get Schwarber right again.

His post-all-star break line was .253/.335/.559 with 17 homers and 30 RBI. He had an OPS of .938 in September- October, and he hit his 30th homer of the season last Saturday.

"He handled everything so properly," manager Joe Maddon said. "I remember sitting there with him and telling him he was going back (to the minor leagues). He was fine. He knew he needed to. He knew he had earned the 'right' to go back.

"And then he went there and he worked very hard to get back to where he's at. There's a lot more in there. And going into next year, we get a full off-season under his belt, another spring training, another full season.

"Right now the batting average is the part that is skewed. Even if he was hitting .250, which he's absolutely capable of, his on-base would be over .350. It's just that tough start that he had to work through, but it's really coming back to him now."

For Schwarber, hanging his head was not an option.

"My goal, hopefully through a career in baseball, I just want to be a good teammate," he said. "Being able to learn from some of the best guys that we've got in this clubhouse, with (former catcher) , John Lackey, (Jon) Lester, Riz (Anthony Rizzo), KB (Kris Bryant), all these guys,

"I just want to be a good teammate. You see a guy like David Ross, who was a backup catcher, no knock on him, but he stayed around this game for a long time, and he's still in the game.

"I love this game of baseball. I want to be in it for as long as I can. I feel like that is only one thing that's going to help. That's why I never wanted to hang my head. I didn't want to be a negative guy. I'm always going to come in here with a positive outlook and keep grinding at it.

"I obviously knew this was something I did to myself. It was no one else's fault. It was me. I had a choice. I could either be Mr. Pouty Pants or I could go out there and do something about it. I wanted to do something about it. That's why I never hung my head one day."

If there was one bit of controversy surrounding Schwarber, it was Maddon batting him leadoff to begin the season. Schwarber led off 36 games and batted .190.

Maddon, however, said Schwarber's inexperience rather than the leadoff spot contributed to his early struggles. Schwarber still has only 764 big-league plate appearances, thanks to him missing virtually all of the 2016 regular season with a serious knee injury.

"It's easy to draw those kinds of conclusions, but it had nothing to do with hitting leadoff," Maddon said. "Zero. When I hear about that, that indicates to me a total lack of understanding of what he was going through."

As he stood in the visitors' clubhouse at Busch Stadium in St. Louis the night the Cubs clinched the , Schwarber talked of entering his third postseason in three years.

"It's been a crazy season for me; the last two seasons have," he said. "Just to be here right now in this moment, I'm not taking it for granted. There's a lot of guys in this room who have only been in a few and have been playing for 15-plus (years)."

The possibility of what might come this October has Schwarber and his teammates excited.

"What he's done this year is a tremendous developmental year for him," Rizzo said. "He's been the same person every day, which is not easy to do in this game. He's done a really good job at it.

"When the light's shining brightest, that's when you seem to get the best out of Kyle. I don't see it any different coming playoff time when he gets an opportunity."

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Daily Herald Strasburg vs. Hendricks: Who has the edge? By Scot Gregor

It would be accurate to say the Cubs and Washington Nationals are both hamstrung when it comes to the starting rotation.

Heading into the stretch run, Jake Arrieta looked like the Cubs' best starter, and Max Scherzer was No. 1 with the Nats.

As both clubs prepare for Game 1 of the National League division series Friday night at Nationals Park, Arrieta and Scherzer will be watching from the dugout while nursing hamstring injuries.

Arrieta looks like he'll be ready for a potential Game 4, and Scherzer should be good to go in Game 3.

That leaves Kyle Hendricks as the Cubs' Game 1 starter. He'll oppose Washington's Stephen Strasburg.

"Really with this staff, any of us could be making this start," Hendricks told reporters Thursday. "I think it's more some injuries played into it with Jake a little bit, kind of a matchup to their lineup maybe. I'm just taking it as an opportunity to go out and have fun and have my team behind me, and there's nine of us going out there to start Game 1. So I just have focus on my task and what I can do to help my team win the game."

Hendricks was sidelined from June 8-July 24 with a hand injury, but he posted a 2.09 ERA after the all-star break.

Manager Dusty Baker doesn't think the Nats are catching a break drawing Hendricks in the playoff opener.

"He's a good pitcher," Baker said. "He's in the Greg Maddux mode. He throws strikes, and tempt-me strikes. He's a good pitcher. We'll just have to see."

Hendricks started against Washington on Aug. 4 at Wrigley Field. The right-hander took the loss after allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks in 7 innings.

Strasburg might not have the track record of Scherzer, but he might be the hottest starting pitcher in the postseason.

Not only did he have the lowest ERA (0.86) in the majors after the all-star break, Strasburg was voted NL pitcher of the month for September after going 4-0 with a 0.83 ERA.

In his only start against the Cubs this season, Strasburg pitched 7 innings on June 28 at Nationals Park. He allowed 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 13 and earning the win.

"Strasburg has been really good this last month, obviously," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "High incorporation of his changeup; really becoming even a more dominant pitch. He's always had the wonderful fastball. He's a good athlete.

"Strike-throwing ability, everything's there. You've just got to go out there with your best at-bats rights now. He's good. They are all good. Every player right now is good, all the pitchers you see are good."

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Daily Herald Hometown Vegas on minds of Bryant, Harper By Bruce Miles

WASHINGTON -- Two of the most sought-after players Thursday at Nationals Park were the Chicago Cubs' Kris Bryant and Washington's Bryce Harper.

Both hail from Las Vegas, and both were touched by this week's mass shooting in their city.

"It's been tough," Bryant said before the Cubs worked out in preparation for Game 1 of the National League division series. "With Bryce over there, too, we've kind of been talking. We play baseball for a living, but there's really more important things to it. We're definitely doing what we can to help. This off-season, I know I'll be doing all I can.

"I was born and raised in Vegas. And there's actually people who live outside the city; it's not just downtown on the Strip. It's been really touching to see the community come together like that."

Harper was surrounded at his locker by media from Chicago and Washington.

"It's been pretty surreal," he said of the Las Vegas situation. "Just talking to friends, talking to family that were definitely at the concert, and seeing things that have happened and transpired from that, it just goes to show how strong our community is in Vegas and how much of a small-knit community it can be.

"It's definitely an unbelievable thing that happened. And you never want that to happen to anybody across the world and or anything like that, and for it to happen in your hometown, it definitely hits home."

Roster decision coming:

The Cubs are expected to announce their 25-man NLDS roster by 9 a.m. Central Friday. Manager Joe Maddon was not tipping his hand. He was asked about veteran pitcher John Lackey but gave no indication.

Maddon did say right-hander Jake Arrieta "is feeling fine." Arrieta, who has been battling a hamstring injury, is the scheduled starter for Game 4, if the game is necessary.

Lackey could make the roster as a long reliever or as insurance in case Arrieta can't pitch.

Nationals ace Max Scherzer's status is still uncertain. He "tweaked" his hamstring this past weekend, and Washington manager Dusty Baker said the only decision he has made is that Stephen Strasburg will star Game 1.

He says he's OK:

Nationals star Bryce Harper said he is good to go for the NLDS. Harper suffered a bone bruise in his left knee and a strained left calf Aug. 12, when he hit first base awkwardly while running. His first game back was Sept. 26.

He went 1-for-14 for the rest of the month and 2-for-4 in the Oct. 1 game. Harper hit 29 home runs during the regular season.

"I feel fine, just healthy," he said. "That's my biggest thing, that I'm healthy. I felt healthy right when I came back. It took a little more time than I wanted, of course. I got out there as quickly as I could. I tried to stay as calm as I could and rest and let it heal.

"As we wrapped up the division, it gave us a little more time to rest."

Hello, Edwin Jackson:

Former Cubs starter Edwin Jackson found a home with the Nationals in the middle of the season and went 5-6 with a 5.07 ERA in 13 games.

The Cubs signed Jackson to a four-year, $52 million contract in 2013, and he was released during the 2015 season after going 16-37 with a 5.37 ERA.

Through it all, Jackson remained positive and was a good clubhouse presence.

"That was definitely part of being a professional," he said. "No one ever said anyone's career would be successful at all times, especially after signing a big contract. It was unfortunate that I didn't pitch like I wanted to. It definitely wasn't from attitude or from confidence. It was just things weren't going my way.

"I've read the comments. I've had people come up and ask me how I feel about Theo (Cubs president Epstein) saying that things were a mistake. It is what it is. You have to have an answer for when things don't go your way. That was his answer. That's the game. I don't get worried things I can't control."

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Daily Herald Lackey makes Cubs' NLDS roster; Rondon left off By Bruce Miles

WASHINGTON -- Veteran pitcher John Lackey has made the Chicago Cubs' roster for the National League division series against the Washington Nationals. Game 1 is Friday night.

The Cubs will carry 14 position players and 11 pitchers.

Relief pitcher Hector Rondon, who battled elbow soreness late in the season but came back to pitch, is not on the roster. Left-handed reliever Justin Wilson, who struggled since coming from Detroit in a July trade, is on the roster. He will join Mike Montgomery and Brian Duensing as lefties out of the bullpen.

The Cubs kept Leonys Martin for his speed and his defensive ability in the outfield. They obtained him during the year from Seattle.

Lackey is the Cubs' No. 5 starter, but he did work an inning of relief in the regular-season finale. He can come out of the pen or be used as insurance in case Jake Arrieta cannot start Game 4, if that game is necessary. Arrieta has been battling a hamstring injury since Labor Day.

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Daily Herald No shortage of motivation for ex-Cubs manager Baker By Scot Gregor

All eyes will be on the field when the Cubs and Washington Nationals open the National League division series tonight at Nationals Park.

It would be wise to cast an occasional glance at the respective dugouts, where Cubs manager Joe Maddon and Nats counterpart Dusty Baker will be stationed.

For as successful and beloved as he is, Maddon headed into the current season still taking heat for his handling of the Cubs' pitching staff last postseason.

Then there's Baker.

Nearing the end of his 50th year in baseball, Baker is still looking to win his first World Series as a manager.

As a player, won a ring playing for the .

Baker came close to managing the to a championship in 2002, and many thinks the Cubs club he managed in '03 had enough talent to win it all.

Of course, the Cubs collapsed that year against the Florida Marlins in the NL championship series, setting up Baker's messy exit from the North Side.

Now 68 years old, Baker is going to be extra motivated to knock out the Cubs.

"Yeah, there's always extra emotion," Baker told reporters Thursday. "I've got a couple former teams in the way. I've got some extra motivation against the Yankees, too. They beat my team when I was a kid, the Dodgers, and they beat me when I was a manager on the Dodgers. Oh, yeah, I've got motivation with a few teams."

Baker's contract is up at the end of the season, and the Nationals have yet to approach him with an extension.

Always popular with his players, the Nationals have been rallying behind Baker and they should also have some extra emotion as they try to advance out of the NLDS for the first in franchise history.

"The thing about Dusty, I've always heard how good he is with his players," Maddon said.

"That's the thing that has always stood out to me when I first started doing this. Talking with him one-on-one, it's always a real friendly, cordial, easy conversation with the guy. So you can see where that follows up with his players.

"I don't really know him that well. I'm not professing to know him that well. I just know the interaction I've had, it's always pleasant."

Maddon managed the Cubs to their first World Series crown in 108 years last season, so the Nationals get the first crack at knocking off the defending champions.

"I mean, that's an advantage to them somewhat that they have been there, but we've been close ourselves," Baker said. "So this is going to be a heck of a postseason. You've got some quality teams in both leagues."

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Cubs.com Hendricks to start Game 1 of NLDS for Cubs By Carrie Muskat

CHICAGO -- Kyle Hendricks, the Game 7 starter in the World Series last year, will open the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile tonight when the Cubs right-hander takes the mound in Game 1 against the Nationals. He has the perfect temperament for the job.

Hendricks was tabbed to start the best-of-five series opener at Nationals Park ahead of the Cubs' Opening Day starter, Jon Lester, who will start Game 2.

"I remember back in the day when the torch was passed to me to do that," Lester said. "It's a cool thing for [Hendricks]. I'm excited for him. I'm sure he's excited to go out there on Friday and get on that stage again."

Hendricks will oppose Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg. Despite facing an imposing Washington lineup, Hendricks is concentrated on performing the same way he has all season.

"All you're focused on is making pitches," Hendricks said. "That's my job and it never changes, no matter regular- season games, postseason games, no matter who you are facing on the other side of the mound.

"My focus is to go out there, make good pitches, rely on my preparation, which I've done all year long. But when it comes down to it, when those lights turn on, you just have to execute pitches better than the other guy."

Although Hendricks carries the weight of being the first Cubs pitcher this postseason, he said confidently that any of the trio behind him of Lester, Jose Quintana and Jake Arrieta would've deserved the title of Game 1 starter.

"Really with this staff, any of us could be making this start," Hendricks said. "... I'm just taking it as an opportunity to go out and have fun and have my team behind me, and there's nine of us going out there to start Game 1. So I just have focus on my task and what I can do to help my team win the game."

Hendricks is definitely not your typical big league pitcher. You can ignore the radar gun readings at the ballpark; they don't define him.

"He's doing it in a different method," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday. "He's not that guy who lights up the gun; he knows how to pitch. I talk to a lot of different pitching coaches, a lot of different managers and some [general managers], and he's their favorite. I think it's probably because of the style of his pitching and his ability to pitch, the fastball command, the movement on the fastball, the changeup -- he's just fun to watch.

"He's a technician. Coming from Dartmouth to here, what he's done for himself and his career, almost winning a Cy Young last year, is really impressive."

Hendricks led the Major Leagues with a 2.13 ERA last season, and finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting. This year, he went 7-5 with a 3.03 ERA in 24 starts. His second-half numbers are why he's starting Game 1: Hendricks was 4-3 with a 4.09 ERA in 11 starts before the All-Star break, and has gone 3-2 with a 2.19 ERA in 13 starts since.

"I think he's pitching right now better than I saw him any time last year," Maddon said. "The velocity is better, and the other pitches are working better off the greater velocity."

Last year, the right-hander was 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA in five postseason starts, and the Cubs won three of his games, including Game 7 of the World Series. His demeanor is impressive.

"You hardly know he's breathing out there," Lester said. "He may allow it in his head, but you'd never know it. He doesn't let the emotions of the game get to him. The pitching aspect of it is impressive, but what he does on the mound to control his emotions and how he goes about his business out there, you'd never know if he's up 10 [runs], down 10, or if it's an April 15 start or a World Series start."

How does Hendricks do it?

"I'm just having fun out there, really," Hendricks said. "I've dreamed about this my whole life. There's so much that goes on on the outside, the attention, but really it doesn't matter. All that matters is between the lines, and that's what I live for and what I have the most fun doing. I'm dialed in and focused on the task at hand, and I love competing and winning, and that's all I'm doing out there."

The Cubs acquired Hendricks, 27, from the Rangers in July 2012 in exchange for Ryan Dempster. Who would've thought the skinny finance major from Dartmouth would be opening a playoff series?

"We certainly did not envision it at the time," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. "He deserves a ton of credit for always growing. We did bet on his makeup. That was a primary drive in the trade. We were pretty convinced he would get the most out of what he had, and continue to keep learning and adjusting. He's taken it to another level. His understanding of the game and his ability to execute at a very, very high level is so impressive. And he's unflappable."

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Cubs.com #VegasStrong: City on minds of Harper, Bryant By Mark Feinsand

WASHINGTON -- Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant sat in the seats behind home plate at Nationals Park on Thursday afternoon, but the postseason may have been the furthest thing from either of their minds.

Tonight, they'll suit up on opposing sides of the field, opening the National League Division Series presented by T- Mobile between the Nationals and Cubs. But on Thursday, they were just two Las Vegas kids catching up and wondering how their hometown was turned upside down in the blink of an eye.

The past two NL Most Valuable Player Award winners recorded a public service announcement to help the efforts in Las Vegas, where 58 people were killed and hundreds more injured in Sunday night's mass shooting during a country music concert at the Las Vegas Village.

"We play baseball for a living, but there are way more important things," said Bryant, whose future sister-in-law made it out of the concert safely. "We're definitely doing all we can to help. This offseason, I'll be doing all I can. I was born and raised in Vegas. It's been touching to see the community come together."

Harper tweeted a photo Thursday of himself holding a pair of spikes depicting the city's skyline on one and the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign on the other, writing, "Vegas, this is for you! #VegasStrong."

"It's been pretty surreal," Harper said of the days since the shooting. "Just talking to friends, talking to family that were at the concert, seeing the things that have happened and transpired from that, it just goes to show how strong our community is in Vegas, how much of a small community it can be."

The friendship between Harper and Bryant has been well-chronicled since the latter broke into the big leagues in 2015, and while they've shared the same field several times, they haven't done so under the brightness of October lights.

"This is what you live for, to compete against your buddies on a stage like this," Bryant said. "In club ball, it's fun to play against each other, but we never really dreamed of this. It's definitely special for us. I'm so happy for him and all his success -- but hopefully we kick his butt on the field."

Bryant sounded like a wide-eyed little kid as he recalled watching Harper play for the first time, marveling at the power he possessed as far back as the age of 7 or 8.

"He was a freak of nature," Bryant said. "I can't even explain how intimidated I was to watch him just hit in the batting cage. The sound coming off his bat was something you never heard."

Truth be told, it was Harper's presence on the mound a few years later that caused the most anxiety in a young Bryant.

"He would be throwing way harder than anybody I'd ever seen," Bryant said. "It was more of the fear factor of, 'If he hits me, I'm going to be crying for a week.' He was a larger-than-life 12-year-old out there that was just so good at baseball, you knew he was bound for where he's at now."

Despite their proximity in age -- Bryant is nine months older than Harper -- the pair didn't play for rival high schools, creating what Bryant has called a "friendly competition" more than a rivalry.

While Bryant speaks reverently about Harper, he's got something his pal hasn't yet earned: a World Series championship. Bryant and the Cubs were the darlings of the sports world last fall, ending Chicago's 108-year drought, while Harper's Nationals were bounced in the first round for the third time in five years.

"I was excited for him," Harper said. "Of course we wanted to be in that situation, that spot. Being able to go back- to-back seasons with MVPs for the state of Nevada and the city of Las Vegas, that was pretty cool. Then him bringing back a World Series to Vegas as well, that was a pretty cool experience for him. I'm so happy for him and his family."

You might think bragging rights would be on the line in a series such as this, but Bryant believes the mutual respect and admiration they have for one another will prevent any post-series ribbing.

"If I was playing my brother or something, there would be bragging rights," Bryant said. "But Bryce is such a good guy, he wouldn't do that to me and I wouldn't do that to him."

The two already shared a bond that stretches all the way back to Las Vegas. Following the events in their hometown this week, that connection seems to be even stronger.

"You never think it's going to happen to anywhere where you're from or where you live," Bryant said. "When it does, it broke my heart."

Baseball will take center stage for the pair tonight. Thursday was about something much bigger.

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Cubs.com Cubs' title defense begins in DC vs. Nats By Mark Feinsand

A year ago, the Cubs faced the task of erasing 108 years of frustration, which they did with a memorable run at a World Series championship. The Nationals' entire existence in Washington spans only 13 seasons, but with another October comes another opportunity to accomplish something the franchise has never done: Win a series, or better yet, three.

Two teams, one goal, with Game 1 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile set for tonight. (7:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. CT, TBS).

"We have a lot of guys in here that want this really bad," said Stephen Strasburg, Washington's Game 1 starter. "But at the same time, I think we have a lot of guys in here that trust each other, trust this team, and trust that we're going to stick together through thick and thin."

For Chicago, this October is about trying to become the first team to defend its championship since the 1999-2000 Yankees capped a remarkable run of three consecutive titles. How difficult is it to repeat? Of the 15 teams to win it all since those Yankees, only the '09 Phillies even made it back to the Fall Classic the year after winning a championship.

Unlike last year, there will be no talk of billy goats, curses or ghosts, replaced instead by a young, confident team that knows what it takes to earn those 11 precious victories.

"We're really excited that we have another chance at it," Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said. "There was maybe a little more pressure last year because you feel the weight of 108 years on your shoulders. This year, it's not like it's different; we're here for one reason -- we want to win the whole thing. Regardless if we won it last year or 108 years ago, it doesn't matter to us."

Kyle Hendricks, who posted a 1.42 ERA in five postseason starts in 2016, will take the ball for Chicago in Game 1.

"In the playoffs, every pitch is important," Hendricks said. "That's really the only way we look at it. As far as the history and trying to repeat and all that, we're just trying to win ballgames."

Cubs manager Joe Maddon implored his players to embrace that pressure a year ago, stressing the importance of handling the inevitable bad moments. Those moments will surely come again, something Maddon brought up during Thursday's team meeting.

"I definitely wanted our guys to be aware of that again, because it's going to happen," Maddon said. "How we react in that moment is going to separate us once again. From your perspective, you want to be able to deliver the blow or the punch, and hopefully the other team reels for a bit and you're able to take advantage. That's momentum."

The Nationals have had momentum on their side for most of the season, cruising to their fourth NL East title in the past six years. But October has been a different story for the franchise, which has seen three teams with 95-plus wins eliminated in the NLDS since 2012.

Manager Dusty Baker, who will be taking on the team he managed from 2003-06, wasn't stressing the recent history with his club as it prepared for tonight's opener.

"This is a different team," Baker said. "I mean, these guys, they know what's at stake. We don't have a bunch of meetings. That's how you know you have a good team; when you don't have the need for a bunch of meetings. They know how I feel. I've got a good idea how they feel."

Washington won four of seven meetings with the Cubs this season, splitting a four-game set at Nationals Park in June before taking two of three in August at Wrigley Field.

"We respect the Chicago Cubs; they're the champs," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. "They're wearing the crown, and we're trying to take it from them. We respect them, but we don't fear them."

Strasburg, who was unavailable to pitch last postseason, believes the experience of those NLDS defeats will help the Nationals.

"I think that's something that you really have to build on over a few seasons, and you've got to have the right people to come in and join the group," Strasburg said. "This team is a little bit more battle-tested than we have been in the past. Yes, the expectations are a little bit more, but those things are always going to be there when you have that kind of talent in that clubhouse.

"It's a test; it's a challenge, for sure. But I think we're ready for it."

Nobody said winning a World Series was easy. The Cubs had to get through the three-time champion Giants and three-time Cy Young Award winner and the Dodgers just to get to the Fall Classic last year, where they then overcame a three-games-to-one deficit against the Indians.

Now it's the Nationals that stand in the way of Maddon's team as it tries to make more history on the North Side.

"How do you define experience and what is experience worth?" Maddon said. "Experience at least is worth knowing what it took to do that last year. And I think coming into this postseason, we have a knowing that we didn't have last year."

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Cubs.com Cubs-Nats: NLDS position-by-position By Mike Petriello

Although the defending champion Cubs got off to a disappointing start, they made up for it in the second half of the season, posting a 49-25 post-All-Star record that was second only to Cleveland in the Major Leagues. Of course, the Nationals had the fourth-best second-half record themselves, at 45-29, and led the for all but three days of the season. That's despite a leaky first-half bullpen and injuries that took out -- at various times -- their shortstop and their entire starting outfield.

Now, both sides are dealing with hamstring injuries to ace starting pitchers, and what we're left with is an extremely compelling National League Division Series matchup, starting tonight at Nationals Park. But which side has the edge? Let's check it out, position by position.

(Batting numbers are presented with traditional BA/OBP/SLG and Weighted Runs Created Plus, or wRC+, a park- and league-adjusted number where 100 is set as "league average" for easy comparison.)

Catcher

Some of these spots will be tough to call, but this one is really, really easy. Cubs combined to hit .275/.361/.467 (116 wRC+), the second best in the Majors, while Nationals catchers, primarily Matt Wieters and

Jose Lobaton, hit only .211/.276/.320 (53 wRC+), the weakest line in the game. For the Cubs, that's mostly thanks to Willson Contreras (.276/.356/.499, 121 wRC+) blossoming into a star, but it's worth noting that backup Alex Avila compiled the big leagues' fourth-best hard-hit rate. He's got one of the strongest catcher's throwing arms, too.

Advantage: Cubs

First Base

Ryan Zimmerman stayed healthy and put together a huge comeback season, recording a .303/.358/.573 (138 wRC+) slash line that was essentially equal to that of Anthony Rizzo (.273/.392/.507, 133 wRC+), hitting for more power than Rizzo did while getting on base less often. We're giving Rizzo a slight edge here because he's a much better defender and his track record is stronger, but with Zimmerman hitting like this, it's really not a big edge.

Slight advantage: Cubs

Second Base

The Cubs have four different players who could see time here, though it's more likely you'll see Javier Baez or Ben Zobrist rather than Ian Happ or Tommy La Stella. Zobrist (.232/.318/.375, 82 wRC+) never really got on track this year, and Baez (.273/.317/.480, 98 wRC+) had more or less the same year he always has, just with some added power. (He was also much better in the second half, hitting .291/.340/.511, 113 wRC+.) Yet while there's a lot of talent in that group, Washington's Daniel Murphy (.322/.384/.543, 136 wRC+) had another outstanding season, making his third All-Star team and posting the Majors' seventh-best contact rate, giving the Nationals an edge here.

Advantage: Nationals

Shortstop

Addison Russell was a popular breakout pick this year, but he took a step back in most categories (.239/.304/.418, 84 wRC+), then missed more than a month with a foot injury as Baez stepped in. Trea Turner was also a popular breakout pick in what was expected to be his first full season, but he missed two months after breaking his left wrist when Cubs reliever Pedro Strop hit him with a pitch in late June. Despite playing only 98 games, Turner still stole 46 bases (a club record), and if his .284/.338/.451 (105 wRC+) didn't quite live up to the promise of his 2016 debut, it still gives him the edge here.

Advantage: Nationals

Third Base

Both the Cubs and the Nationals have superstar third basemen who are deserving candidates for the NL Most Valuable Player Award, so yes, this one's a tie. Good luck trying to choose between Anthony Rendon (.301/.403/.533, 142 wRC+) or Kris Bryant (.295/.409/.537, 146 wRC+) and their nearly identical stat lines. Any slight edges to one would be counteracted by slight edges to the other, so this one stays a toss-up.

Advantage: Tie

Left Field

Though Kyle Schwarber's season got off to a pretty disappointing start -- he was hitting just .171/.295/.378 (77 wRC+) when the Cubs optioned him to Triple-A in June -- he has been far more in line with expectations since returning in July, hitting 18 homers to go with a solid .255/.338/.565 (131 wRC+) line. He's still vulnerable to lefty pitching and isn't a strong defender, so expect to see some Jon Jay, Happ and Zobrist out here as well. That group has the edge over the Nationals, who will either start 38-year-old Jayson Werth coming off an injury-plagued down season (.226/.322/.393, 88 wRC+) or defensively limited 34-year-old veterans Adam Lind and Howie Kendrick.

Advantage: Cubs

Center Field

This was supposed to be , but when he was lost for the year with an April knee injury, Michael A. Taylor stepped in admirably. Taylor put up a slightly above-average line of .271/.320/.486 (105 wRC+), which is about the same as the Cubs' duo of Jay and Albert Almora Jr. managed (.296/.359/.406, 102 wRC+). The Nationals get the edge here, however, because Taylor provided excellent defense, easily the best of these three, and because 20-year-old rookie Victor Robles could step in to offer some of the most elite speed in the Majors.

Advantage: Nationals

Right Field

Bryce Harper mashed yet again (.319/.413/.595, 156 wRC+), while Jason Heyward struggled (.259/.326/.389, 88 wRC+), and really, that ought to be the end of this discussion. Now, it's a little more complicated than that, since Harper injured his knee in a scary-looking stumble in early August, and he returned in time only to collect three singles in 20 plate appearances during the final week. And Heyward, it should be noted, remained an elite defensive outfielder, adding more value on defense than Harper, so the health and fielding issues offer at least some favor for Heyward. But Harper, when he's right, is one of the most talented sluggers in the big leagues -- and the Nationals need him to be right.

Advantage: Nationals

Starting Pitchers

Let's start with the uncertainty on both sides, given that Max Scherzer and Jake Arrieta are each dealing with right hamstring strains, and Arrieta won't appear until Game 4 because of it. What we do know is that Kyle Hendricks will face Stephen Strasburg in Game 1, and don't be fooled by Hendricks' misleading 7-5 record; since he returned from injury on July 24, he has a sparkling 2.19 ERA in 13 starts. Still, the Nats have a slight edge here, because Strasburg, Scherzer, and Gio Gonzalez (2.96 ERA) may be three of the top five names in the NL Cy Young Award voting, and Tanner Roark is a perfectly capable fourth starter. While Hendricks and Jose Quintana have been solid, Jon Lester posted a 5.51 ERA over the last two months, and Arrieta could be limited. Both sides have good rotations; Washington's is just slightly better -- if, that is, Scherzer can go.

Advantage: Nationals

Relief Pitchers

The Washington bullpen was a tremendous problem for most of the season, though summer acquisitions Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson, and Brandon Kintzler added considerable value, helping the Nats' bullpen go from a worst- in-baseball 5.30 relief ERA in the first half to a much better 3.54 in the second half. Doolittle has been great, but Kintzler (12 whiffs in 26 innings) has been just OK. On the other side, Wade Davis (2.30 ERA, 79 whiffs in 58 2/3 innings) looks like he did when he was starring for the Royals, Brian Duensing (61 strikeouts in 62 1/3 innings, 2.74 ERA) has been shockingly good and Carl Edwards Jr., Strop and Mike Montgomery remain weapons. They may even be joined by John Lackey, which is entertaining. It's only a small edge here for Chicago, though.

Advantage: Cubs

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Cubs.com 5 Statcast facts for NLDS: Cubs vs. Nationals By Andrew Simon

The Cubs are looking for a championship repeat. The Nationals are looking for a postseason breakthrough.

These two dynamic division winners will clash tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET (TBS) in Game 1 of the best-of-five National League Division Series in Washington. The Nats captured the competitive season series, 4-3. Following three NLDS defeats over the previous five years, the Nats will look to take out the 2016 World Series champs for their first postseason series victory since moving to Washington in '05.

All season, as Chicago pushed its way to the NL Central title and Washington cruised to an NL East crown, Statcast™ was following every aspect of both clubs' performances. Here then are five key Statcast™ facts to know about this matchup:

1. If Scherzer is healthy, the Nationals have two legitimate aces

The best things a pitcher can do is pile up strikeouts, limit walks and generate favorable contact. Statcast™'s expected weighted on-base average metric (xwOBA) is based on those three factors, and among the more than 100 pitchers who faced at least 500 batters this season, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg both ranked in the top six. Scherzer's hamstring injury complicates things, but when he's healthy he's as dominant as anyone.

Lowest xwOBA allowed in 2017 (minimum 500 batters faced) 1. Max Scherzer: .242 2-T. Corey Kluber: .248 2-T. : .248 4. Clayton Kershaw: .253 5. : .259 6. Stephen Strasburg: .264

The Cubs don't quite have a starter who can match that in terms of 2017 production, but Kyle Hendricks (.300 xwOBA), Jake Arrieta (.301), Jon Lester (.301) and Jose Quintana (.303) all are bunched in the top 35 overall.

2. The Cubs can crush it

Chicago's lineup knows how to put a charge into the ball. This season the Cubs smacked 300 barrels -- a Statcast™ term for balls with an ideal combination of exit velocity and launch angle that typically produces extra-base hits. That trailed only the Dodgers among NL teams, while Anthony Rizzo (45), Kris Bryant (41) and Kyle Schwarber (41) all ranked in the top 11 in the NL individually.

Most barrels by NL teams in 2017 1. Dodgers: 304 (7.4 percent of batted balls) 2. Cubs: 300 (7.2 percent of batted balls) 3. Cardinals: 286 (6.8 percent of batted balls) 4. Nationals: 283 (6.6 percent of batted balls) 5. D-backs: 275 (6.7 percent of batted balls)

3. Trea Turner's legs vs. Willson Contreras' arm is a matchup to watch

Turner went 46-for-54 (85.2 percent) in stolen-base attempts over just 98 games this season, including 7-for-8 during a four-game series against the Cubs in late June. However, that included an infamous 4-for-4 game with the since-traded Miguel Montero behind the plate. The fact is, Turner has among the fleetest feet in the game, based on Statcast™'s sprint speed, which tells us how many feet per second a player is covering during the fastest one- second window of his run. Turner's 29.2 ft/sec average on "max-effort" baserunning plays -- compared with the MLB average of about 27 ft/sec -- put him 15th in the Majors and second among . To combat this, Cubs pitchers must keep Turner off the bases as much as possible. And if Turner gets on, they have to keep him from getting huge jumps. If the Cubs' hurlers can do that, Contreras will have a shot. The 25-year-old has stopped 30 percent of steal attempts in his career, and his average max-effort arm strength of 87.2 mph this season ranked first among MLB catchers.

Fastest average. baserunning sprint speed for shortstops in 2017 1. Amed Rosario: 29.7 ft/sec 2. Trea Turner: 29.2 ft/sec 3. Wilmer Difo: 29.0 ft/sec

Highest average catcher's arm strength in 2017 (minimum 10 max-effort throws) 1. Willson Contreras: 87.2 mph 2. Elias Diaz: 86.8 mph 3. Gary Sanchez: 86.6 mph

4. Carl Edwards Jr. is the king of fastball spin rate

Wade Davis is the Cubs' shutdown closer, but Edwards led the club in appearances this season (73), and the slender right-hander assuredly will be called upon to get some crucial outs during this series. Edwards struck out roughly 36 percent of the batters he faced this season -- or about 13 per nine innings -- with more than half of those Ks coming on a four-seam fastball that averages 95.2 mph. It's not just velocity, though. A high spin rate on four-seamers gives the ball a "rising" effect, and out of more than 300 pitchers who threw at least 300 four- seamers this year, Edwards' average spin rate was the highest. That certainly contributed to him getting whiffs on more than 30 percent of opponents' swings against the pitch.

Highest average four-seam fastball spin rate in 2017 (minimum 500 tracked four-seamers) 1. Carl Edwards Jr.: 2,677 RPM 2. : 2,603 RPM 3. : 2,544 RPM 4. : 2,541 RPM 5. Cody Allen: 2,506 RPM

5. Anthony Rendon is an extremely tough out

In terms of national attention, the reserved Rendon can get a bit lost on a star-studded roster, but pitchers surely don't like to see him at the plate. The third baseman hits for both average and power, and he walked two more times than he struck out this year because he doesn't get himself out. Rendon chased just 19.3 percent of out-of- zone pitches -- the fifth-lowest rate out of more than 150 batters (minimum 1,000 out-of-zone pitches). Only about 10 percent of two-strike pitches to him resulted in a strikeout, also one of MLB's best rates, because when he takes a two-strike cut, he rarely misses.

Highest contact rate (foul ball or in play) with two strikes in 2017 (minimum 300 two-strike swings) 1. Anthony Rendon: 89.7 percent 2-T. Joe Panik: 89.3 percent 2-T. Jonathan Lucroy: 89.3 percent 4. : 88.0 percent 5. Adam Frazier: 87.6 percent MLB average: 75.8 percent

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Cubs.com Cubs will rely on experience in quest to repeat By Adam Berry

WASHINGTON -- The final day of the first half, July 9, brought a nine-inning kick to the teeth for the Cubs and the finishing touch of a three-month-long reminder: As hard as it is to win it all, doing it again is even more difficult.

Jon Lester didn't make it out of the first inning as the Pirates pounded the Cubs, 14-3, that Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The defending champions fell to 43-45, 5 1/2 games behind the division-leading Brewers. They were repeatedly knocked down, but never out.

But here they are, fresh off a 49-25 romp through the second half, back in the postseason and ready to begin the seldom-traveled journey to a repeat tonight against the Nationals in Game 1 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile.

No franchise is more familiar with the challenge of becoming a champion. The Cubs spent 108 seasons waiting for what happened last year. They believe the experience they gained during that championship run, and the adversity they overcame this season, helped prepare them for this moment.

"We've been through a lot of different scenarios. Not much is going to be able to hit us in the face and us just go get knocked out," Anthony Rizzo said. "We're going to be able to get back up and keep moving forward. We know that."

But consider the rarity of the repeat the Cubs are seeking.

The Yankees won three World Series in a row from 1998-2000. Since their dynasty ended with a loss in the 2001 Fall Classic, only one reigning World Series champion has even returned to the World Series: the 2009 Phillies. The 1975-76 Reds were the last National League team to repeat.

The Cubs have already snapped a four-year drought in which the defending World Series champion didn't even reach the following postseason. This is the first time since 2002 that both defending pennant winners won their respective divisions the following year.

The Giants are perhaps the best recent example of how hard it is to reel off consecutive championships. They won it all every other season from 2010-14, didn't make the postseason in the years in between, and the Cubs ended San Francisco's even-year "dynasty" last October.

The Cubs spent three months treading water this season. It wasn't like last year, when they cruised to 103 wins and never woke up with a sub-.500 record, when the division title was never in doubt, when they almost seemed destined for their eventual seven-game triumph over the Indians.

"Every season's different, for sure. I guess it did give us a calming sense of understanding," Jason Heyward said. "It just allowed us to say, 'OK, let's slow things down in this moment, put this behind us and get better from it.' That's what we try to do each day, understanding there's going to be more challenges ahead."

Rizzo reflected Wednesday night on the challenges behind them. Watching the National League Wild Card Game, he thought about how, in 2015, that night in Pittsburgh felt like "the biggest thing ever."

Now? They've been there and beyond, done that and more. All that's left to do is to do it again.

"Experience at least is worth knowing what it took to do that last year. And I think coming into this postseason, we have a knowing that we didn't have last year," manager Joe Maddon said. "So I want to believe that coming into this year, we have an eagerness about us without an anxiety. I think that's what it really comes down to."

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Cubs.com Happ highlights Cubs' impressive versatility By Carrie Muskat

WASHINGTON -- Ian Happ knew he could get to the Major Leagues quicker if he could play the infield and outfield, like Ben Zobrist. It worked, and it's also symbolic of a theme the Cubs have employed since Joe Maddon took over as manager.

This season, the Cubs used 143 different lineups (the Nationals used 114), and fans can expect to see Maddon moving around different parts of the order throughout the postseason, which begins tonight against the Nationals in Game 1 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile.

"A lot of teams don't have the options we have," Maddon said.

Zobrist is the poster child for Maddon's many lineup machinations, playing first base, second base, shortstop, left field and right field this year. Happ has started at second and third base, as well as all three outfield positions since his May 13 callup. Last season as a rookie, Kris Bryant played first, third, shortstop and all three outfield positions, but 139 of his 148 starts came at third base this season.

"We have so many and so many infielders, I don't know if I'll be needed in the outfield much more," Bryant said. "I've always told Joe I'm up for anything. Maybe I did miss [playing the outfield] a little bit."

Does the versatility give the Cubs an edge?

"I think it makes us able to handle more things in that Joe has more options to use and great guys off the bench," Bryant said. "That definitely plays into it. You know you have a guy starting, but if he goes down, you have another guy take his place, kind of like with Willson [Contreras] and [Addison Russell this season]. It makes us feel good with the roster we do have."

When Contreras and Russell were sidelined with injuries during the regular season, Alex Avila and Javier Baez stepped in at catcher and shortstop, respectively.

"I love the idea that we can make changes," Maddon said. "Obviously when you make the choice [on who starts], that makes your bench even stronger. You watch these crazy [Wild Card Games] at this point and how their lineups flip, especially in the National League situation during the course of a game. So you have to have those kind of pieces, maneuverable pieces, for the latter part of the game, which we'll utilize."

Happ was playing in the while the Cubs were on their way to a World Series championship in 2016. He had a goal then.

"For me, I'm just trying to get in the lineup and help the team however I can," Happ said. "My goal coming into was to prove I could play second and become a better outfielder so I could progress through the system and eventually give the big league team another asset or weapon to be able to play multiple positions, be a switch-hitter against lefties, righties, whatever, and fill as many positions as I can."

Initially a second baseman in the Cubs' Minor League system after being taken in the first round of the 2015 , Happ started playing second base in 2016. He made more starts at second than any position in the Minors this season before being called up.

"What I said from Day One is, 'If I'm an infielder, you can stick me in the outfield,'" Happ said. "If you make me an outfielder, you'll never have me come back and play the infield. Let me prove I can do it at second and go from there."

The Cubs are encouraging their Minor Leaguers to become more versatile.

"I think Ben started the trend, but now it's something a lot of young guys want to do," Happ said. "You just want to get in the lineup. You don't want to pigeon-hole yourself. In an organization like this, if you get stuck at one position, you've got an All-Star in front of you. You want to be able to play all positions to give yourself a chance."

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Cubs.com Schwarber now gets chance to face Strasburg By Carrie Muskat

WASHINGTON -- Kyle Schwarber has never faced Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg, who will start Game 1 of the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile tonight, and has never played in Nationals Park. When the Cubs faced the Nationals in Washington in late June, Schwarber was playing for Triple-A Iowa.

Schwarber was batting .171 when he was sent down, and in the 65 games since the outfielder rejoined the Cubs from July 6 until Oct. 1, he batted .255 with 18 homers, six doubles, one triple and 31 RBIs.

"I knew this is something I did to myself," Schwarber said of his early offensive struggles. "It was no one else's fault -- it was me. I had a choice [when he was sent down]. I could either be Mr. Pouty Pants or go out and do something about it. I wanted to do something about it. That's why I never hung my head one day."

Cubs manager Joe Maddon remembers the day he called Schwarber into his office to tell him about the demotion.

"When we sent him out, he sat there in my office in Chicago, very straight-up, stoic, and he understood -- 'I get it, I deserve it,'" Maddon said Thursday. "'I should go back and get this straightened out, but I'll be back with a vengeance,' that kind of a thing.

"Everything that we had thought about Kyle before this occurred, again, was validated in that moment," Maddon said. "And just moving it backward a little bit from there, this guy did not play last year. He played Spring Training, he played a couple games, in the beginning, or one series, and then a last series. That's it."

The reason Schwarber missed so much time was because he tore two ligaments in his left knee in the third game of the 2016 season. He made a miraculous recovery to participate in the World Series as the , and this year was projected as the Cubs' leadoff man.

"I'm at the root of the problem -- my expectations were so high based on projection and knowing the individual, and he missed a season of baseball, and that's really not easy to do," Maddon said.

"Once he got a requisite number of at-bats back under his belt, all of a sudden the talent started to show back up. It's not easy to do what he has done."

Worth noting

• The Cubs won't have stacks of scouting reports to pore over prior to Game 1. Maddon likes keeping things simple at this time of year.

"You don't need extra scouting reports, you don't need to dig any deeper," Maddon said. "Now is when guys need to play."

Jason Heyward has the most at-bats against Strasburg and was 15-for-37 (.405). Most of the other Cubs have a very small sample size. Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, for example, is 2-for-5 against the Nationals' right-hander. Bryant prefers to go by his own at-bats against a pitcher rather than study too many reports.

"I keep it as little as possible so that I keep my approach and my game simple," Bryant said.

• Jake Arrieta, slotted to pitch Game 4, if necessary, felt good after his Wednesday bullpen session, Maddon said. Kyle Hendricks is starting Game 1, followed by Jon Lester and Jose Quintana in the best-of-five series. Arrieta was pushed back to give him more time to treat a sore right hamstring, injured Sept. 4.

• "To take Game 1 is always big in every series. The NLDS in '15, we lost Game 1, but we came back and won that. We've been through a lot of different scenarios. We're not going to ride and die on one game, one moment. We know it's a five-game series. It's one game at a time." -- Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo

• Fans can watch the Cubs play the Nationals in the NLDS on the large video board at the Park at Wrigley tonight and Saturday. Tickets are $10, and proceeds will benefit Cubs Charities. The gates to the area will open one hour before the start of the broadcast. Fans can purchase food and beverages. Limited parking is available at the Toyota Camry Lot at 1126 W. Grace Street.

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Cubs.com Nats' speedy Turner a challenge for Cubs By Carrie Muskat

WASHINGTON -- The Cubs know what kind of impact Trea Turner can have on a game, recalling June, when he swiped four bases against Jake Arrieta. The Cubs' goal in the National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile will be to keep the Nationals' leadoff man off the bases.

"He's a game-changer," Chicago first baseman Anthony Rizzo said of Turner, who finished third in the NL with 46 steals despite playing only 98 games. "With their lineup, it's 1-0 when he gets on, for the most part. Him, [Cincinnati's] Billy Hamilton, [Miami's] Dee Gordon -- those guys get on early, it puts pressure on the pitchers to hold them."

Turner said he simply looks for the right moment.

"If the opportunity is there to steal a base, I try to steal it," Turner said. "Different pitchers allow different amounts of time. I felt like I could steal off [Arrieta], so I did."

Miguel Montero was the Cubs' catcher in that June 27 game, and he expressed his frustration afterward.

"When you really look at it, the pitcher doesn't give me any time," Montero said. "It's like, 'Oh, yeah, Miggy can't throw anybody out.' Yeah, but my pitchers don't hold anybody on."

Montero was designated for assignment the next day, and eventually traded to the Blue Jays. The Cubs feel more confident in controlling Turner on the bases with Willson Contreras behind the plate. According to Statcast™, no one has averaged a higher arm strength behind the plate than Contreras this season (87.2 mph).

Whom does Turner focus on when he's on the bases?

"I would say it's the pitcher," Turner said.

"Always the best method is to keep him off base," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "That's the best way to corral somebody like him. ... There are some guys who are difference-makers when they get on the basepaths, like he is. At the end of the day, you still want to be more concerned with the guy at the plate, as opposed to the guy on the base. The better baserunner splits a pitcher's concentration. You don't want it split to the point where the hitter gains an advantage."

Chicago's Jon Lester, who will start Game 2 on Saturday, has a reputation for not being able to hold runners, but Turner disputed that.

"He's not slow to the plate," Turner said. "Time-wise, he's not that slow. Actually, he's average, if not above average, on times to the plate. That doesn't mean you can't steal against him."

Nationals first base coach Davey Lopes will be keeping an eye on the Cubs' pitchers.

"It's not as easy as everybody thinks it is. Otherwise, it would be like a track meet, everybody's gone as soon as they get on first base," Lopes said. "You have to be a little bit careful because of [Lester's] slide step. We'll see how it goes when we get there. If there's something that can help us, we'll use it."

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Cubs.com Bridge from starter-closer critical for Cubs-Nats By Nathan Ruiz

WASHINGTON -- Even with former Cy Young Award winners Jake Arrieta and Max Scherzer nursing hamstring injuries, there's no doubt the Cubs and Nationals have two of the Majors' most dominant rotations. In Wade Davis and Sean Doolittle, they have outstanding closers as well.

But it is what's between those endpoints that might determine the victor in Chicago and Washington's National League Division Series presented by T-Mobile, beginning tonight at Nationals Park.

The Cubs' bullpen ended the regular season with a 3.80 ERA, the sixth lowest in the big leagues, but its 4.64 ERA since Aug. 1 was the ninth highest.

Washington ranked 23rd overall with a 4.41 mark, but since July 16, when the club acquired Doolittle and right- hander Ryan Madson from the A's, the Nationals' 3.36 relief ERA leads the NL. Two weeks later, the team traded for Twins closer Brandon Kintzler, further deepening the bullpen.

Veteran right-hander Matt Albers has become a reliable late-inning option with a 1.62 ERA in 2017. Since returning from the Minor Leagues in late July, lefty Sammy Solis has a 2.41 ERA and carries an 11-game scoreless streak into the postseason. Before a rough outing in the regular-season finale, left-hander Oliver Perez had a 3.14 second-half ERA. The impact of the trades is felt even among the pitchers who were there all along.

"I think when we were able to get those three guys at the back end, it filtered everybody else back where they pitched best," Washington catcher Matt Wieters said. "Albers has been great for us all year, and then we have numerous lefties that can come in for us. Hopefully, you get your starters to go six, seven innings each time, but now with all those other guys, if we have to fill in a game, we feel like we can."

Despite scuffling at times during the season's final two months, Chicago relievers ended well, posting a 2.39 ERA in the last 20 games as the Cubs went 15-5.

"We always feed off each other a little bit," left-hander Brian Duensing said. "We finished strong, so I think there's really no need for any other thought than taking care of business."

Cubs manager Joe Maddon called Duensing, who had a career-best 159 ERA+, the bullpen's "unsung hero." He also noted the growth of Carl Edwards Jr., who posted a 12.8 K/9 thanks to a fastball measured by Statcast™ to have the Majors' highest spin rate. If needed, Maddon also said he would consider turning to Davis for more than three outs.

After the Wild Card matchups saw no starters make it through the fourth, relievers on both sides of this NLDS recognize the possibility they could be in games earlier than expected.

Even if the gap from starter to closer proves wide, both bullpens appear prepared.

"I mean, why not? I'm here to win the damn games," Kintzler said with a laugh. "I think we got traded for these situations. Obviously, seven-eight-nine would be great, but worst case, we have a lot of guys that can bridge that gap if we can't do it the way we would like to. But we'll see what happens."

Said Duensing: "Going into these games, we all know that it's all hands on deck at all times. We'll prepare that way and be ready to pitch whenever needed. Whether it's three-four-five-six or eight-nine, I think we're all going to be ready to go."

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