Joe Maddon is sticking to his original plan.
Dusty Baker may have tried to pull the wool over the Cubs’ eyes Tuesday.
Many speculated that if Game 4 of the NLDS was postponed to the next day, the Nationals would likely start red-hot Stephen Strasburg, who started Game 1 of the series last week and would have regular rest.
Baker was adamant Tuesday that he was sticking with Tanner Roark as his starting pitcher in the Nationals must-win makeup game Wednesday instead of Strasburg. The Nationals manager even went so far to say that Strasburg and some of his teammates were feeling under the weather and blamed Chicago’s mold and their hotel’s air conditioning.
But MLB Network’s Jon Morosi is now reporting that might not be the case. Morosi tweeted Wednesday morning that Strasburg is expected to start for the Nationals.
BREAKING: Stephen Strasburg now likely to start for #Nats today in Game 4, source says. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 11,2017
This could be a game changer.
Strasburg was dominant in the last six games of the regular season. He finished 5-0 with a.650 ERA, striking out 48 batters.
And when he faced the Cubs on Friday, it didn’t seem Strasburg was losing any momentum. The righty and three-time All Star allowed only three hits in seven innings, while striking out 10 batters and only walking one.
Joe Maddon, on the other hand, is sticking to his original plan. The lineup the Cubs released Wednesday morning was identical to the one they submitted Tuesday.
Javy Baez returned to the starting lineup and Kyle Schwarber, despite committing a double error in left field that could have been costly in the Cubs’ 2-1 victory in Game 3 on Monday, will be back in to the Cubs lineup.
Ben Zobrist is in right field, with Jason Heyward the odd man out against Nationals right-hander Tanner Roark. Heyward is 0-for-18 in his career against Roark.
Right-hander Jake Arrieta, who has been nursing a hamstring injury, will make what could be his final start as a Cub should the team fail to advance in the series. The Cubs, however are looking to put the hammer down on the Nationals, who have lost in the NLDS in 2012,2014 and 2016. A win tonight would propel the Cubs into the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers.
Arrieta has been nursing a hamstring injury since the end of September, but Joe Maddon said the 2015 NL Cy Young winner is ready to play.
Arrieta is 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA since the Cubs acquired him from the Orioles in 2013. Arrieta hasn’t been very good against the Nationals, though, with 1-2 record and 5.48 ERA in nine career starts against Washington. Arrieta is 4-2 with a 3.64 ERA in seven postseason starts in his career.
