Watch Washington Nationals Vs. Chicago Cubs Live Stream: Start Time, Preview, Teams Fight For Playoff Spots

While the Washington Nationals look to put together a run at the top of the National League East, currently sitting 5 1/2 games back on the divisional standings, the Chicago Cubs hope their prized trade deadline acquisition, lefty Cole Hamels, can remain undefeated in a Cubs uniform as he goes for his third win in a row in a game that will live stream from beloved Wrigley Field on Sunday night.

The Nationals, however, counter with three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, who leads the Major Leagues in strikeouts with 216 and sits third in the National League with a sparkling 2.28 ERA, according to Baseball Reference statistics. But with just 45 games remaining on their schedule, the Nationals need a win from Scherzer on Sunday followed by an extended winning streak by the team to close in on the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies.

Washington is also an even five games behind the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers to grab one of the NL’s two Wild Card spots. But unlike in their division where the Nats currently occupy third place, they would need to leapfrog four other teams for a Wild Card playoff berth.

In Saturday’s game, as BR reports, Washington hammered Cubs ace lefty Jon Lester for nine runs on 10 hits in just 3 2/3 innings on their way to a 9-4 victory, after Chicago won the series opener on Friday, 3-2.

To find out how to watch a free live stream of the Washington Nationals vs. Chicago Cubs Sunday Night Baseball National League series-ender in Chicago, see the streaming information at the bottom of this article. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. Central Daylight Time at 42,500-seat Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, or 8:05 p.m. Eastern Time, 5:05 p.m. Pacific, on Sunday, August 12.

Scherzer comes into the Sunday game at 15-5, winner of his last five decisions in his last five starts, per BR. Scherzer has not lost since July 2 when he and the Nationals fell to the powerhouse Boston Red Sox in an interleague contest.

Since being traded from the Texas Rangers to the Cubs on July, Hamels — who was struggling with Texas at 4-8 — has turned his season around, allowing just two runs in 11 innings on his way to victories over the Pittsburgh Pirates and, in an interleague game, the Kansas City Royals, according to the BR game logs.

To watch a live stream of the final Washington Nationals vs. Chicago Cubs game of their three-game series, use the stream provided by WatchESPN. Viewers should be aware that accessing the WatchESPN live stream requires login credentials from a cable or satellite TV provider subscription.

To view the Washington Nationals vs. Chicago Cubs inter-divisional showdown live stream for free without a cable subscription, fans can sign up for a free trial of an “over the top” live TV streaming package, such as Sling TV, YouTube TV, or DirecTV Now. All three of those internet TV services require credit card information and subscription fees, but they all offer seven-day free trial periods. If the subscription is canceled prior to the expiration of that free week, fans can watch the Nats-Cubbies game streamed live at no charge.

An audio-only live stream of the Washington Nationals vs. Chicago Cubs Sunday Night Baseball game will be available on the TuneIn Radio site.