Irvin labors, Kent gets the call, Mikolas says goodbye
After Jake Irvin couldn't keep the Cubs in check, Jackson Kent now prepares to make his MLB debut, with Miles Mikolas likely on the way out
The members of baseball’s highest-scoring lineup don’t often need to pay much attention to the opposition, but it was impossible for Nationals hitters to gloss over what the Cubs did during Tuesday night’s 8-6 victory on South Capitol Street.
It wasn’t just the eight runs or nine hits or five walks from the majors’ second-highest-scoring club. It was the 187 pitches Chicago’s batters made the Nats throw over the course of nine laborious innings. Shoot, the rate of inefficiency actually went down as the game progressed. It required a ridiculous 133 pitches just to complete the first five innings, 88 of those thrown by starter Jake Irvin, who recorded only 10 outs.
“They take unbelievable at-bats, with a lot of guys who have taken a lot of at-bats in the league,” center fielder Jacob Young said. “They foul off a lot of tough pitches. They don’t chase very much. They’re a scrappy bunch, and they’re a bunch that can do damage, too. You can see why they’re such a good offense.”
And you can see why the Cubs are going to continue to be a challenge for the Nationals pitching staff the next two nights, starting with the guy now scheduled to make his MLB debut Wednesday evening.
