Opposite dugout: Youth movement has served improved Cubs well

Manager: Joe Maddon (1st season)

Record: 24-19

Last 10 games: 6-4

Who to watch: 1B Anthony Rizzo (.316/.440/.574 with 9 HR, 29 RBIs, 9 SB), 3B Kris Bryant (.273, 5 HR, 29 RBIs), RF Jorge Soler (.280, 16 RBIs), SS Starlin Castro (.271, 24 RBIs), LHP Jon Lester (4-2, 3.56 ERA), RHP Hector Rondon (9 saves)

Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-4 in 2014)

Pitching probables:

May 25: RHP Tanner Roark vs. LHP Tsuyoshi Wada, 2:20 p.m., MASN2
May 26: RHP Jordan Zimmermann vs. RHP Kyle Hendricks, 7:05 p.m., MASN2
May 27: RHP Max Scherzer vs. LHP Jon Lester, 8:05 p.m., MASN2

Inside the Cubs:

Yes, the Cubs have an infusion of youth, with the Nats getting their first looks at stud third baseman Kris Bryant, promising second baseman Addison Russell and right fielder Jorge Soler. Throw in slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo and you've got a pretty impressive core group on which to build.

But this series will also be the Nationals' first with Joe Maddon at the helm. Maddon exercised an out clause in his contract over the winter to become an unexpectedly hot free agent property, and the Cubs lured him away from Tampa Bay with a five-year, $25 million contract and the promise of a team on the verge of winning with a collection of youngsters who would grow together. All they needed was a steady hand at the helm, and there are few managers as respected as Maddon for their creativity and ability to connect with charges of all ages. It seemed to be a win-win for both sides.

Remember the prickliness between the Nats and Maddon the last time the two faced off in June 2012? Ex-Nats reliever Joel Peralta was pitching for the Rays at Nats Park, when then-skipper Davey Johnson, at the behest of several of Peralta's former teammates, had umpires inspect the right-hander's glove for illegal pine tar. Peralta was ejected and eventually suspended for eight games. Maddon took great umbrage at what he considered unnecessary gamesmanship on the part of Johnson and the Nats, and the two managers engaged in a war of words over the remainder of the interleague series. Johnson called Maddon a "weird wuss," and Maddon wondered aloud to reporters why any player would want to play for Johnson. Ultimately, Johnson acknowledged that Maddon was merely sticking up for his player, something he respected, but Maddon has a long memory. It'll be interesting to see if there's any retaliation in his bag of tricks.

The Cubs have gotten positive reviews from their youth movement, and no one's been contributing more than Bryant, who crushed balls in the Cactus League during spring training, wasn't happy when he was sent to Triple-A because the Cubs wanted to limit his service time and delay his free agency, and then returned with a vengeance. The has a 12-game hitting steak snapped Sunday, is hitting .273, and his 29 RBIs and .391 on-base percentage lead NL rookies. Consider that all of his damage has come in the five weeks since April 17, and that makes his performance even more impressive.

Rizzo has been Chicago's most consistent hitter, batting .316 with nine homers and and his .440 on-base percentage ranks third in the majors (and is aided by the NL-high 12 times he's been hit by a pitch). Russell had a 13-game streak of reaching base safely end on May 13, which included a 12-game hitting streak, and he's gaining confidence. Soler tops NL rookies with 47 hits and is hitting .365 in May. Shortstop Starlin Castro, the elder infield statesman in terms of major league service, is hitting .271 with 24 RBIs and no longer feels like he has the offensive load on his shoulders.

The Nationals will face two pitchers they've never seen before ending the series with a marquee matchup between staff aces, Washington's Max Scherzer and Chicago's Jon Lester.

Lefty Tsuyoshi Wada gets the Memorial Day afternoon start for the Cubs, his second of the year. He battled a groin strain early in the season and made six starts at Triple-A Iowa before being recalled to make his season debut on May 20 at San Diego, when he allowed two runs on four hits with a walk and nine strikeouts in a no-decision. Wada throws an 89 mph fastball 58 percent of the time and a 76 mph changeup 22 percent of his pitches. He relies on control and the ability to changes speeds and location. He's 4-1 with a 2.91 ERA in his two major league seasons at Wrigley Field. He can be tough on opposing hitters when he needs to be: Foes are slashing .154/.211/.231 with runners in scoring position and .190/.261/.357 with two outs.

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks had only an 0-1 record to show for some pretty impressive efforts through his first seven starts. But in his last outing, he checked the Padres on five hits in a complete-game shutout with no walks and seven strikeouts. In the 45 2/3 innings he's logged, Hendricks doesn't allow a lot of home runs (three) or walks (nine). He's getting a lot of mileage out of an 89 mph fastball that he throws 63 percent of the time, but can also turn to an 80 mph change or an 88 mph cutter.

Lester was lured to Chicago with a six-year, $155 million deal in December, and he's had much better results in May than he had in April. This month, he's posted a 1.82 ERA in five starts, logging at least seven innings in four of those outings (April saw a 6.23 ERA). He's a better pitcher in day games (2-1, 1.46 ERA) than at night (2-1, 4.46 ERA), and sports reverse splits, with lefty hitters batting .319 against him and right-handed hitters only .250. He's yielded a .289 opposing batting average in his home starts, but has used his veteran guile to limit foes to a .206 mark with runners in scoring position (though he's given up 15 RBIs in such situations). The biggest trouble zone are his 16th through 30th pitches, when opponents have batter .400 with a pair of homers. Lester makes the most of a 91 mph fastball that he throws about 53 percent of the time, and also features an 87 mph cutter 28 percent of the time and a 74 mph curve with 15 percent of his pitches (he also has a decent changeup in his repertoire). In three career starts versus the Nats, he's 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA.

While the starting pitchers have been pretty effective for the Cubs, the bullpen has been a different story, with multiple relievers spinning through a revolving door as they search for the right combination. Right-hander Pedro Strop has appeared in a team-high 23 games, with 23 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings and a 3.48 ERA. Hard-throwing Hector Rondon is the closer, and has converted nine of 12 save opportunities while posting a higher ERA (3.79) and WHIP (1.37) than you'd like to see from a ninth-inning arm.