Stephen Strasburg to Start Game 4 for Nationals vs. Cubs

The Washington Nationals will start Stephen Strasburg on Wednesday in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs.

Carrie Muskat of MLB.com passed along confirmation of the decision after MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported Strasburg was expected to take the mound.

The move represents a change of heart, as Nats manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday he would start Tanner Roark since Strasburg is ill, according to ESPN.com's Eddie Matz.

Game 4 was supposed to take place Tuesday at Wrigley Field in Chicago, but rain forced a postponement and moved the contest to Wednesday.

Due to the rescheduling, Strasburg will be able to pitch on normal rest whereas he would have only had three days of recovery had the game taken place Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Baker mentioned that several of his players are currently sick: "A lot of my team is under the weather with the change of weather, and the air conditioning in the hotel, and the air conditioning here. It's just this time of the year for mold around Chicago—I think it's mold. I mean, I have it, too."

Strasburg is coming off a dominant outing in Game 1 of the NLDS, as he went seven innings, allowing three hits, one walk and two runs, neither of which were earned. Strasburg also struck out 10, but he took the loss in a 3-0 defeat.

Washington trails Chicago 2-1 in the series, making Wednesday a must-win affair for a Nationals team that has never advanced beyond the NLDS since moving to Washington in 2005.

The 29-year-old Strasburg is coming off the best regular season of his career, as he went 15-4 with a 2.52 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 204 strikeouts.

He will be opposed by Jake Arrieta, who is making his first start in two weeks due to a hamstring injury.