The set-up: I like the Cubs' Jon Lester to come in focused and to take advantage of this favorable match-up in the Nation's capital. The home side hands the ball to Joe Ross tonight.

The pitchers:Lester is so far 15-5 with a 3.53 ERA. He comes in off consecutive victories over the Tigers and Mets and he seems to be getting better as the season has worn on. Lester comes in confident with a 10-2, 2.62 ERA record on the road to this point.

Ross makes his return to the big leagues after Tommy John surgery in 2017. He went six re-hab games and posted a sharp 2.39 ERA and 19:8 K/BB over 26.1 frames. His career big league numbers are also above average, but Ross will be on a short leash this evening and because of that, I think Lester and the hard-hitting visiting side are well worth the price of admission.

The pick: I think Ross gets the hook early and I expect Lester to go deep. Lay the price, play on the Cubs.