The gift that keeps giving is back. Stuck with a huge contract they gave to Patrick Corbin four years ago, the Nationals keep trotting him out. Never mind that Corbin has become the worst pitcher in the National League if not all of baseball.

Corbin is 4-16 with a 7.02 ERA and 1.82 WHIP. He's given up four or more earned runs in each of his last six starts. Washington is 0-9 in Corbin's last nine starts.

The Nationals are bad enough without Corbin, owners of the worst record in baseball at 39-78. They are 16-40 in their last 56 games. The Nationals have the highest ERA and WHIP and have committed the third-most errors.

Unlike the Nationals, who dealt their two best players - Juan Soto and Josh Bell - at the trade deadline the Cubs held on to their key players, including Wilson Contreras and Ian Happ. The Cubs are in rebuild, too, but their undertaking isn't nearly as massive as the Nationals. The Cubs are a respectable 12-10 in the second half of the season.

Justin Steele will oppose Corbin. Steele has been exceptionally sharp lately with a 1.26 ERA in his last three starts. He has a 25-to-2 strikeout-to-ratio during these past three starts.