The Cubs will host Washington in Game three of this series at Wrigley on Wednesday night, and there hasn't been much separating these teams so far. The Nats won 3-2 in the opener, and the Cubs returned the favor winning by the same score last night. I'll take the home team as an underdog in the rubber match.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - Max Scherzer will start for the visitors, and he's won four straight decisions after a slow start in his first season for Washington. Scherzer (5-3, 1.67 ERA) gave up one run on four hits in eight innings, beating the Phillies 2-1 in his last start. The Cubs counter with Jon Lester, who is 4-0 over his last six starts.

2. Kris Bryant - The rookie phenom has hit home runs in both the first two games in this series, and he's batting .281 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs in 28 games.

3. X-Factor - The Nats have won six of the last 10 meetings in this series, but four of those victories came in one run ballgames.

Selection: This is a play on the Chicago Cubs +1.5 (8*)