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Nationals-Cubs Preview

Aug 26, 2009 - 5:33 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Washington (44-81) at Chicago (62-60), 8:05 p.m. EDT

The Chicago Cubs didn't get off to the start they hoped for on their favorably scheduled homestand. Sending Rich Harden to the mound might help turn things around.

The struggling Cubs look to bounce back from a lopsided loss when they face the lowly Washington Nationals and newly acquired pitcher Livan Hernandez on Wednesday night.

Trying to hold on to their faint hopes for a third straight postseason berth, Chicago (62-61) lost 15-6 to Washington in Tuesday's series opener.

The Cubs, who've lost 13 of 18 and are nine games behind first-place St. Louis in the NL Central, need to make the most of this 10-game homestand against the likes of the Nationals (45-81), New York Mets and Houston Astros - all teams with losing records.

"We got to get going. We're running out of time," general manager Jim Hendry said. "We need a great homestand and to get some help from other people. We put ourselves in the spot we're in."

The Cubs didn't help their cause Tuesday as ace Carlos Zambrano came off the disabled list and allowed eight runs in 4 1-3 innings. Elijah Dukes hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high five runs for the Nationals, who snapped a six-game losing streak to Chicago by winning for the second time in eight contests overall.

"Elijah is a work in progress. .... When he can start laying off the ones low and away that aren't strikes, he's going to be a real force in this league," Nationals interim manager and former Cubs skipper Jim Riggleman said of Dukes, who's hitting .238.

Josh Willingham homered twice and had six RBIs for Washington, which broke out after being outscored 26-11 during a four-game sweep by the Cubs from July 16-19. Willingham, who entered the series 1 for 19 in his previous five games, has 21 homers - his third season of at least 21 in the past four years.

Willingham is 0 for 3 against Harden (8-7, 4.04 ERA). The right-hander improved to 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA versus the Nationals after allowing one run and three hits while striking out seven in a 6-2 road win July 16.

In his most recent outing, the right-hander gave up one hit over seven scoreless innings in a 7-1 win at San Diego last Wednesday for his first victory in four starts.

"I got locked in and started finally getting ahead," Harden said. "That's kind of where I want to be, just getting that feeling."

Milton Bradley went 4 for 4 with a solo homer Tuesday for the Cubs, who could be without struggling left fielder Alfonso Soriano for a third straight game because of a sore knee.

Bradley, batting .205 in his last 11 games, is hitting .375 against the Nationals this season.

Aramis Ramirez is batting .385 with four homers against Hernandez, who was signed Tuesday by the Nationals after being released by the Mets on Thursday.

The 34-year-old right-hander - who pitched for Montreal and Washington from 2003 through part of 2006 - was 7-8 with a 5.47 ERA with New York, going 0-3 with an 11.30 ERA this month.

Hernandez is 10-6 with a 4.02 ERA in 19 starts against Chicago.