Cubs rely on Rusin versus Nationals
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lefty Chris Rusin faces the Washington Nationals for the second time in his 14th big-league start on Tuesday night when the Chicago Cubs host them for the second game in a four-game series at Wrigley Field.
A 26-year-old from Detroit, Rusin debuted in the majors last season and went 2-3 in seven starts with the Cubs while allowing a .314 opposition batting average and striking out 21 in 29 2/3 innings.
He met the Nationals in the second of those seven starts and retired just three batters while being raked for five runs on eight hits in a game the Cubs ultimately lost, 11-5, at Washington.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rusin opened this season with two wins in his first three decisions before falling back to .500 with a 5-0 loss to Cincinnati in his most recent start on Aug. 14.
In four career starts at Wrigley, he's 1-2 with a 5.57 earned run average across 21 innings, as opposed to his 3-3 record in nine road starts with a 4.17 ERA.
Washington opposes him with 32-year-old righty Dan Haren, who returns to a starting assignment after picking up his first career save in his most recent appearance on Aug. 17 in Atlanta.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The California native opened this season with 22 consecutive starts before being called into action for a one-inning relief stint that closed out an 8-7 defeat of the Braves.
He'd gone 3-0 in four starts prior, allowing just four runs in 27 innings while surrendering 14 hits, walking five batters and striking out 25 others.
Haren is 1-2 in five lifetime starts against the Cubs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Monday, Nate Schierholtz capped a career-high six-RBI performance with his second home run on the night and the Cubs rode Jeff Samardzija's complete game in a 11-1 rout of the Nationals.
Schierholtz finished 3-for-4 and the Cubs smacked five home runs as a team, with Donnie Murphy also clubbing a pair and Dioner Navarro providing a three- run shot.
Samardzija (7-11) was in full control, allowing just a Wilson Ramos home run and five more hits. He struck out five without walking a batter to get his first win in a month.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Nationals lost for the fourth time in five tries, with starter Jordan Zimmermann (14-7) taking a beating. He was charged with eight runs on seven hits over five frames.
The Cubs won two of three when the teams last played in Washington from May 10 to 12.