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The Nationals (42-56) will try to continue riding Soriano's strong play when they meet the Chicago Cubs (37-59) in the finale of their three-game series on Sunday. As the July 31 trading deadline approaches, Soriano has been the focus of much of the Nationals' trade talks. On Saturday, he went 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs in Washington's 7-3 victory. Soriano, who had three doubles and a triple, is hitting .467 (14-for-30) since the All-Star break.''That's my first choice: I want to stay here,'' Soriano said. ''But like I said ... I have no control.''Washington has won four of its last six overall and 10 of its last 13 against the Cubs. The Nationals' only sweep this season came June 2-4 in Milwaukee. Washington has recorded at least 10 hits in seven of its last nine games, including Saturday when rookie Ryan Zimmerman had the go-ahead hit and pinch-hitter Alex Escobar had a two-run homer. Livan Hernandez went six innings for the victory, snapping a 13-game drought in which a Nationals starter failed to record a win. Tony Armas (6-5, 4.61 ERA) tries for his first win since missing nearly a month with a strained right forearm when he takes the mound for Washington. The right-hander was activated from the disabled list Monday and started against Florida, allowing five hits over five innings in a 4-2 defeat. Armas, who had not pitched since June 19, threw 92 pitches.''Overall, he pitched pretty good,'' Nationals manager Frank Robinson said. ''There was still the high pitch count. He couldn't go deep.'' Armas has failed to pitch more than five innings in his last four starts. He will try to avoid a season-high third straight loss when he faces the Cubs, who he is 2-5 against with a 4.63 ERA in nine career starts. Armas will face a challenge in Chicago third baseman Aramis Ramirez , who was 3-for-4 on Saturday and homered twice for the second straight game. He has five homers in the last three games and is 6-for-10 with two homers in his career versus Armas. Cubs first baseman Derek Lee has also had success against Armas, hitting .385 (10-for-26) with two doubles, a triple and four homers. Chicago rookie Carlos Marmol (3-3, 3.86) takes the ball for his first career outing versus Washington. The right-hander gave up just four hits and one run in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over Houston. He walked six and struck out six while tossing a season-high 110 pitches to earn his second straight win. In four of his seven starts this season, Marmol has held his opponent to one run and four or less hits while pitching at least six innings. ''He's come a long way in a short period of time,'' Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. ''He's got a dynamite arm. He's picked up a second and third pitch rather quickly ... He's a competitor. He expects to win.''
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Topic: Gameday Thread: Nationals vs Cubs, Game 3 (Curly W) (Read 7276 times)
