Nationals’ Early Lead Slips Away as Cubs Rally for 8-6 Win
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog
The Washington Nationals jumped out to an early lead and showed plenty of fight late, but the Chicago Cubs’ relentless middle-inning offense proved too much Tuesday night at Nationals Park.
Chicago rallied from a 3-1 deficit, scored in five consecutive innings and held off Washington’s eighth-inning comeback attempt for an 8-6 victory. The loss dropped the Nationals to 59-62 and snapped their three-game winning streak. Chicago improved to 70-50 and moved a season-best 20 games over .500.
Washington finished with 11 hits and three home runs, but Jake Irvin struggled to contain Chicago once the Cubs’ lineup turned over.
Abrams strikes first
Washington could not have asked for a much better beginning.
Brady House singled with two outs in the bottom of the first before CJ Abrams launched a two-run home run off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga. The blast was Abrams’ 29th of the season and immediately gave Washington a 2-0 advantage.
Abrams continues to put together one of the best offensive seasons of his career. The home run pushed his RBI total to a Major League-leading 91, tying Ian Desmond’s 2014 mark for the most RBIs by a Nationals shortstop in a season. Abrams has also been on a tear recently, with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs over his last 31 games.
Chicago answered in the top of the second.
Alex Bregman walked, advanced to third on an Ian Happ single and scored on Nico Hoerner’s sacrifice fly to cut Washington’s lead to 2-1.
Jacob Young quickly got that run back.
Young led off the bottom of the second with his 10th home run of the season, extending Washington’s advantage to 3-1. The homer also gave the Nationals four players with at least 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases this season, tying a franchise record.
Cubs begin their comeback
The game started changing in the third.
Pete Crow-Armstrong crushed Irvin’s first pitch of the inning for his 27th home run of the year. The drive traveled an estimated 437 feet and hit the facade of the third deck in right field, trimming Washington’s lead to 3-2.
Chicago then broke through in the fourth.
Happ walked before Hoerner doubled, putting runners in scoring position. Michael Conforto tied the game with a sacrifice fly before Carson Kelly hit a slow ground ball that allowed Hoerner to beat the throw home, putting the Cubs ahead 4-3.
After Dansby Swanson was hit by a pitch, Washington manager Miguel Cairo went to the bullpen.
Tom Cosgrove struck out Crow-Armstrong, but Seiya Suzuki followed with an RBI double that scored Kelly and pushed Chicago’s advantage to 5-3.
Irvin’s night ended after just 3 1/3 innings. He allowed five runs on four hits, walked two and struck out four while falling to 2-6.
The outing was especially frustrating because Washington had given Irvin a two-run cushion twice during the first two innings.
Chicago keeps applying pressure
The Cubs were not finished.
Chicago loaded the bases in the fifth before Swanson drew a walk from Max Kranick, forcing home another run and extending the lead to 6-3.
Washington again answered with the long ball.
Dylan Crews hit his 10th home run of the year in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the deficit to 6-4. Crews joined Abrams and Young as the third Nationals hitter to homer against Imanaga.
Imanaga allowed four runs on six hits across 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five and did not issue a walk, but Washington’s three home runs prevented him from qualifying for the victory.
Ryan Rolison took over and recorded four outs without allowing a run, eventually earning the win to improve to 7-1.
Chicago added another insurance run in the sixth when Bregman homered off Orlando Ribalta. It was Bregman’s 13th home run of the season. He finished 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored.
Suzuki then added what proved to be an important insurance run in the eighth, launching his 20th home run of the season off Miles Mikolas to give the Cubs an 8-4 lead.
Nationals make one final push
Washington refused to go quietly.
House opened the bottom of the eighth with a walk against Ryan Zeferjahn before Harry Ford doubled him to third.
Pinch hitter Jorbit Vivas then lined a ball into left field. Happ made a diving attempt and the play was initially ruled a catch, with House scoring from third.
Washington challenged the call, and replay showed that Happ had not completed the catch. The decision was overturned, giving Vivas an RBI single and cutting Chicago’s lead to 8-5.
Nasim Nuñez followed with a two-out RBI single to score Ford and suddenly the Nationals were within two runs at 8-6.
Chicago turned to Jacob Webb, who retired Jose Tena on a comebacker to end the threat. Webb then finished the ninth to record the final four outs and earn his eighth save.
Washington did not score again.
House stays hot
The Nationals still received another encouraging performance from House.
House reached base four times, going 3-for-3 with a walk and scoring twice. He helped create Washington’s first-inning rally and was also in the middle of its eighth-inning comeback attempt.
Washington also received home runs from Abrams, Young and Crews, while Nuñez and Vivas contributed important late RBIs.
The Nationals actually outhit Chicago 11-9 and committed no errors, but the difference came in Chicago’s ability to consistently manufacture runs once Irvin began struggling. The Cubs scored in the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings before adding another run in the eighth.
MSB Take
This was a frustrating loss because Washington had multiple opportunities to control the game.
The Nationals led 2-0 after the first inning and 3-1 after the second. Against a Cubs club battling for postseason positioning, that was exactly the type of start Washington needed.
The problem was keeping Chicago down.
Once Crow-Armstrong homered in the third, the Cubs began putting together quality at-bat after quality at-bat. Walks, sacrifice flies, doubles, productive ground balls and home runs all contributed to a stretch in which Chicago scored in five straight innings.
Irvin simply could not stop the momentum.
There were still positives for Washington.
Abrams continues to look like one of the most dangerous shortstops in baseball. Young reaching 10 home runs is another encouraging sign from a player better known earlier in his career for speed and defense. Crews reaching double-digit home runs provides another glimpse of his offensive upside, while House continues to produce.
The Nationals also did not quit.
Trailing 8-4 in the eighth against a team that has been one of the hottest clubs in baseball, Washington battled back to within two runs and brought the tying run closer to the plate.
That fight matters for a young team.
But the Nationals will also look back at this game knowing that a 3-1 lead at home slipped away because they could not stop Chicago’s offense in the middle innings.
Washington gets another opportunity Wednesday night.
The Nationals are expected to promote highly regarded left-handed pitching prospect Jackson Kent from Triple-A to make Wednesday’s start. Chicago is scheduled to counter with left-hander David Peterson, who enters at 6-7 with a 5.35 ERA.
Final: Cubs 8, Nationals 6
Winning pitcher: Ryan Rolison (7-1)
Losing pitcher: Jake Irvin (2-6)
Save: Jacob Webb (8)
Nationals home runs: CJ Abrams (29), Jacob Young (10), Dylan Crews (10)
Cubs home runs: Pete Crow-Armstrong (27), Alex Bregman (13), Seiya Suzuki (20)
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