A matchup between pitchers Max Scherzer and Jake Arrieta — the last two winners of the NL Cy Young — meant the margin for error for the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs was that much smaller.
“Anytime you have a premier matchup, it boils down to which team makes the most mistakes,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said before the game.
The Nationals were practically mistake free Tuesday, beating the Cubs 6-1 and took advantage of a series of the Cubs’ miscues.
Namely, the Nationals (46-31) set a franchise record with seven stolen bases and ran circles around Cubs backup catcher Miguel Montero.