Cubs Vs. Nationals: When And How To Watch Game 4, 2017 NL Division Series

It's October, and the Chicago Cubs get to do something they haven't done in more than a century: defend a World Series title. The North Siders take that first postseason step as they face the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series. The best-of-five series began Friday, Oct. 6.

Can the Cubs make it back to the World Series this season? Will the 2017 postseason join last year as part of a Chicago dynasty of multiple championships? Patch gets you ready for each playoff game with all the info you need to know before you enjoy the action on the field.

Also, check out the tentative postseason schedule for the Cubs if they advance to future rounds. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Lake View and Chicago — or other neighborhoods. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

2017 NL Division Series: Cubs vs. Nationals

Cubs lead the best-of-five series 2-1.

GAME 4

First Pitch: 3:08 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11

Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago

TV | Radio | Streaming: TBS | 670 the Score (WSCR-AM), ESPNRadio 1000 (WMVP-AM) | MLB.com

Pitching Matchup: Jake Arietta (14-10, 3.53 ERA) vs. Tanner Roark (13-11, 4.67 ERA)

Previous Game Results

GAME 1

Cubs 3, Nationals 0

W: Kyle Hendricks (1-0; 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 3 BB) | L: StephenStrasburg (0-1; 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 10 K, 1 BB) | S: Wade Davis (1; 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB)

GAME 2

Cubs 3, Nationals 6

W: Oliver Perez (1-0; 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB) | L: Carl Edwards Jr. (0-1; 0.1 IP, 3 ER, 1 K, 1 BB) | S: Sean Doolittle (1; 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB)

GAME 3

Cubs 2, Nationals 1

W: Carl Edwards Jr. (1-1; 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB) | L: Brandon Kintzler (0-1; 1.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 K, 1 BB) | S: Wade Davis (2; 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB)

No Strasburg In Game 4: Who Made The Call?

Even before the postponement, fans and observers were speculating whether Nationals manager Dusty Baker would tap right-hander Stephen Strasburg to start Game 4. Strasburg pitched in Game 1 of the series Friday, and he would be throwing on normal four-day rest if he started Game 4 on Wednesday.

In his press conference after the game was officially moved, Baker said he was staying with Tanner Roark for Game 4, because Strasburg wasn't feeling well, despite throwing in a bullpen session Tuesday. But an anonymous source with "direct knowledge of the Nationals' pitching plans" told USA Today that it was Strasburg who informed the coaching staff he didn't feel well enough to pitch Wednesday.

The decision by Strasburg came after the pitcher wheezed through a half-mile run Tuesday, according to USA Today. His work in the bullpen also was Monday, not Tuesday like Baker said, the report added.

When asked Tuesday if Strasburg would be available to pitch as a reliever in Game 4, Baker was noncommittal.

"I don't know, man. I ain't even thinking about that to tell you the truth. I'm thinking Tanner's going to do his thing," he said.

Sick Days

Apparently, Strasburg isn't the only one on the Nationals not feeling his best, Baker told reporters Tuesday. And that includes the manager.

"[A] lot of my team is under the weather with the change of weather and the air conditioning in the hotel and the air conditioning here," he said. "It's just this time of the year for mold around Chicago — I think it's mold. I mean, I have it, too."

As you can imagine, Baker's putting the blame for his sick team on the city's mold raised a few eyebrows online:

Encore Performance

Before the seventh-inning stretch, which featured Bill Murray and his brother Joel leading the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," the Cubs had been no-hit by Nationals starter Max Scherzer, and Washington was the only team to put runs on the board. After the seventh-inning stretch, Chicago scored two runs off four hits, and relievers Carl Edwards Jr. and Wade Davis combined to no-hit the Nationals.

Coincidence? Well, yeah, but it's as good excuse as any to replay the Murray brothers' duet.

"Respect Me! Respect Me!"

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo had every reason to be amped after hitting in Chicago's winning run in the bottom of the eighth in Game 3. But some wondered if yelling "Respect me! Respect me!" toward the Nationals dugout was a little over the top for what ultimately was a lame-duck, bloop single that resulted in Rizzo being thrown out in a rundown after pinch runner Leonys Martin crossed home.

In his postgame interview, Rizzo explained that his emotional reaction stemmed wasn't just in response to bringing the Cubs within a game of advancing to the NL Championship. He said he took it personally that Nationals manager Dusty Baker decided to pitch to him instead of intentionally walking him with two outs and first base open.

More Patch Cubs-Nationals Coverage

• VIDEO: Check Out The Scene Outside Wrigley Field Before Game 3
• Mayors Put Meat, Beer On The Line For NL Division Series

"I want to make guys pay," Rizzo said. "I hit where I hit in the order. I drive in runs, and that's just the mentality that I always take in. Usually I keep that stuff behind the scenes and say that stuff, but just my emotions got me there.

"But you know, that's the mentality. I believe I'm a really good hitter. I believe I'm one of the best hitters in the game and you have to believe that. You have to believe in that. There's a lot of power that comes with that."

Naturally, Cubs fans love seeing such fiery bravado from the team's de facto captain:

But others weren't so appreciative by Rizzo's display:

One Twitter user even tied in the on-field emotion to a character in the upcoming "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," a film whose second trailer premiered during halftime of "Monday Night Football." Timely and adorable.

Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, though, had some good-natured ribbing for Rizzo and his celebration after the game. When asked about his teammate's "strut back to the dugout," Bryant told The Athletic, "I didn't see that. I just saw his baserunning mistake."

The big question will be whether Rizzo provided more of a spark for the Cubs or the Nationals by giving them bulletin board material going into Game 4.

Even When They're Bad, They're Good

The Cubs and the Cleveland Indians, the team Chicago beat in last year's World Series, did similar things Monday but with vastly different results. Both teams committed four errors in their games. The Cubs, however, were still able to eke out a victory. The Indians weren't so fortunate. They lost 7-3 to the New York Yankees, forcing a do-or-die Game 5 in the American League Division Series.

Roark's Dilemma

Starting a playoff game in the home ballpark for your favorite team growing up is a dream scenario for major league pitchers. But that won't be the case Tuesday for the Nationals' Tanner Roark. He grew up rooting for the Cubs as a native of Wilmington, which is just south of Joliet, and he will be Washington's Game 4 starter at Wrigley Field.

Describing his upcoming Chicago start as surreal, Roark, 31, laid out his mental approach to the game in an interview Monday.

"[You've got to] hold the nerves in, hold the anxiousness and all that stuff in, and just let it come and let it happen," he said Monday, according to ESPN.

This isn't Roark's first time pitching at Wrigley, and the Friendly Confines certainly have been friendly to him. So far in his career, the right-hander holds a 3-1 record with a 3.24 ERA at the ballpark.

Good, But Not Good Enough

After Monday's defeat, the Nationals became the first team in major league history to lose multiple games of a postseason series in which they had no-hitters through at least five innings, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

2016 NLDS, Game 4 (Oct. 11)

The Cubs overcame a three-run deficit in the ninth inning to beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-5, and advance to the NLCS to face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Could history repeat itself? The Dodgers are already in the NLCS after sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Addison Russell and Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper practice Tuesday, Oct. 10, at Wrigley Field before the postponement of Game 4 of the National League Division Series. (Photo by Stacy Revere | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images)

Like What You're Reading? Stay Patched In!

• Like our Crime page on Facebook
• Check out the Events Calendar for what’s going on