Stephen Strasburg Shuts Down Cubs to Give Nationals Game 4 NLDS Win

Stephen Strasburg didn't know if he would pitch Wednesday, but he and Michael A. Taylor saved the Washington Nationals' season.

Despite dealing with an apparent illness, the pitcher threw seven scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts while leading the Nationals to a 5-0 Game 4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Tuesday's rainout gave him an extra day to get back to full strength, and he made it count on another rainy night in Chicago.

Taylor then put the game away with an eighth-inning grand slam off Wade Davis.

The win ties the division series at 2-2 and sets up the all-important Game 5 on Thursday night with the Nationals trying to clinch at home.

Strasburg was the big story coming in due to the uncertainty of whether he would even start. Even after Game 4 was pushed back a day, the All-Star was reportedly too sick to pitch, leaving Tanner Roark to take the mound as he would have on Tuesday.

He eventually decided to pitch after being given anti-inflammatories and fluid IVs, per Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

The Nats starter responded with one of the best starts from anyone this postseason. Former pitcher Dallas Braden made a bold statement about the effort:

There were no question marks once Strasburg got himself going:

He struck out three batters in three different innings, ending with a total of 12 strikeouts, and kept the Cubs scoreless through seven. 

The changeup was especially impressive throughout the start, which led to eight of those strikeouts, per Dan Cohen of WREX:

In two starts this series, Strasburg allowed zero earned runs in 14 innings with 22 Ks.

It was Cubs starter Jake Arrieta who wasn't sharp on the mound after dealing with hamstring issues, walking five batters in just four innings. He was fortunate to escape with just one unearned run allowed on a third-inning error by Addison Russell. 

The right-hander gave way to Jon Lester in the fifth inning, and the veteran did everything he could to keep the Cubs in the game. He was perfect through his first three innings and even picked a runner off in the eighth before leaving with another runner on first.

However, it unraveled from there as a pair of Carl Edwards Jr. walks loaded the bases for Taylor. The young outfielder took advantage of the opportunity with a two-out grand slam off Davis:

The big shot was certainly a surprise, especially considering the matchup:

Although Davis entered with a 1-0 count, it was a game-changer not normally seen from the closer.

Washington's bullpen fared much better, keeping the Cubs at just three hits and zero runs for the game. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo combined to go 0-for-7 with a walk in the shutout loss.

The teams will now travel and play Game 5 without a day off, with the decisive battle set for Thursday at 8 p.m. ET in Washington.

Game 1 starter Kyle Hendricks will likely get the ball for Chicago, while the Nationals will have Tanner Roark and Gio Gonzalez available, plus a lot of momentum.