CHICAGO -- You've got to beat the best to be the best. Joe Maddon says it all the time, and the chance was right there for the manager and his Cubs during Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Nationals.
But let it be known that the belt, as it were, stays with Max Scherzer and the Nats.
On an idyllic night in one of baseball's great old shrines, Scherzer showed the Cubs that he's not just the guy who was the best pitcher in the American League in 2013. He's mounting a challenge at Clayton Kershaw to become the best arm in the game.