What to Monitor When Nationals Continue Their Weekend Series vs. Cubs

Here's what Washington Nationals fans should pay attention to this weekend.

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals are back in action on Saturday.

This comes after they got their season off to a 1-0 start following a historic performance on Opening Day when they scored 10 runs. But now, the Nationals have to turn the page and get ready for the rest of the weekend set, as they have two more games to play at Wrigley Field against a Chicago Cubs team that will be chomping at the bit to secure the final two victories of this series.

Washington will get a different test on Saturday afternoon, as they are scheduled to face right-handed starter Cade Horton after going up against left-hander Matthew Boyd in the opener. With two games left to play this weekend, here's what Nationals fans should monitor.

How Miles Mikolas and Jake Irvin Hold Up

Washington Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Opening Day starter Cade Cavalli didn't necessarily pitch a gem during his first start of the year, as he went only 3 2/3 innings and gave up two earned runs on three hits. But when he was on, he was able to flash his high upside by striking out five Cubs hitters and looking like the potential ace the team expects him to be this season.

But it's a mystery what Washington is going to get from Miles Mikolas and Jake Irvin in Games 2 and 3. Slotted into the innings-eater role because he's declined at this stage of his career, Mikolas will want to get his season off to a good start. Whether or not he can do that will be seen on Saturday as he takes on a lineup that is full of potent hitters.

As for Irvin, he earned his way back into the rotation with a strong performance this spring. Carrying that over into his first start of the season would be huge for the right-hander, especially because he could be on the mound with a chance to secure the first series victory of the year for the Nationals.

James Wood's Strikeout Issues

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

James Wood went 6-for-48 with six walks, one home run, a double and a triple during spring training, while striking out a staggering 19 times. Because of the hitting prowess he showed last year and the fact it was a ramp-up period leading into the season, there weren't a ton of alarm bells sounding when it came to those numbers.

However, on Opening Day, Wood went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts, carrying over the abysmal showing he had in the second half of last year into the start of this season. It's still early, and plenty of the game's best hitters have needed time to settle in before producing high-end results. But coming off what happened following the All-Star break last year, there is starting to be some nervousness when it comes to Wood's approach at the plate.

How Blake Butera Shifts Around His Lineups

Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

All signs point to there being tons of lineup surprises throughout the year. That was the case on Opening Day when Wood was slotted into the No. 1 spot, CJ Abrams was down at No. 6 and the trio of Andres Chaparro, Brady House and Joey Wiemer all batted in the top five of the order. But with a right-hander going for Chicago on Saturday and a lefty going for them on Sunday, that should give fans a better idea of who manager Blake Butera will start when facing those types of splits.

Conventional wisdom would suggest there will be plenty of platoons taking place depending on the matchup. But where Butera slots his players into the batting order will be something to keep an eye on during the early going of this season.