• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Nationals-Cubs Preview

Apr 27, 2010 - 3:47 PM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Washington (10-10) at Chicago (10-10), 8:05 p.m. EDT

Less than a week ago, the Chicago Cubs were frustrated and mired in a losing streak.

That already seems like a distant memory.

The Cubs look to win their fifth in a row and move above .500 for the first time when they face the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night.

Chicago (10-10) totaled six runs during a four-game skid April 17-20, but has since won four straight and five of six.

After outscoring NL Central rival Milwaukee 25-4 in a three-game weekend series sweep, the Cubs defeated the Nationals 4-3 in 10 innings in the series opener Monday. Aramis Ramirez, who drove a run in the second inning, walked with the bases loaded in the 10th, improving Chicago's record to .500 for the first time since it was 5-5 on April 16.

"We're a good team and we win games," said Marlon Byrd, who scored on Ramirez's second-inning double. "That's what we're trying to do now - win series."

Byrd has led the offensive resurgence. The first-year Cub had a double and two singles Monday, and is hitting .565 with four doubles, five RBIs and seven runs during a five-game hitting streak, raising his batting average 91 points to .355.

Byrd is batting .391 with a double in 23 at-bats against Livan Hernandez (2-1, 0.75 ERA), who looks to continue his early dominance and bounce back from a hard-luck loss for the Nationals (10-10).

Hernandez pitched well enough to win Thursday against Colorado, giving up two solo homers and four hits in eight innings but suffering a 2-0 loss. The runs were the first yielded this year by the right-hander, who threw 16 scoreless innings to win his first two starts.

Hernandez went 4-1 with a 2.61 ERA in his last six starts against the Cubs, and 3-2 with a 1.99 ERA in his last six at Wrigley. In his lone outing in Chicago last season, he limited the Cubs to two runs in six innings but didn't get a decision in a 9-4 loss.

The Cubs counter with Tom Gorzelanny (0-2, 2.40), who has received one total run of support over his three starts. Against New York on Thursday, he threw five innings of one-hit, shutout ball before the Mets scored four runs - two unearned - in the sixth. The left-hander struck out seven and was removed with two outs in the sixth as the Cubs went on to lose 5-2.

Gorzelanny didn't have much success against Washington last season, going 1-1 with an 11.25 ERA in four relief appearances. He has fared much better in two starts against the Nationals, winning both with a 3.46 ERA.

Gorzelanny will face a Nationals lineup that scored three runs or fewer in four of the last five games.

A big reason why Washington is sputtering offensively is the absence of Ryan Zimmerman, who has sat out the last five games with right hamstring soreness.

Manager Jim Riggleman said the slugging third baseman is getting better, but he is leery about playing him in Chicago's April climate.

"In this cold weather, we're just going to be real conservative," Riggleman said.