Cubs top Nationals for fourth straight win |
WASHINGTON - Things may not always come easy, but at this point in the season, a win is a win, and the Chicago Cubs (69-66) will take wins any way they can get them. Despite another offensive attack that saw them score seven runs in the second inning, it was one of those games where this team failed to add on, as those seven runs were the only runs they would score.
You can get away with that against bad teams, but if that is your strategy against good teams, it does tend to backfire on you. That nearly happened in this one as the Washington Nationals (61-74) almost came all the way back from a 7-2 deficit as they scored three runs off the Cubs pen in the ninth before falling 7-6. Shota Imanaga has been impressive in his first professional season, but some stats stand out more than others. One of those stats happens to be that he has started more games (24) than he has walked (23) this season, which isn't something that can be said a lot in today's game. This was another solid start for Imanaga, as he struck out eight across six innings. With three runs allowed, Imanaga was far from perfect, but he was still good enough to notch his 11th win. Opposing him was the right-hander Jake Irving, who had an interesting day, to say the least. Irving pitched into the fifth, walking two and striking out six, but with seven earned runs, he was on the hook for the loss. Those numbers are deceiving, as all seven runs came in one inning, and he was otherwise very good across the rest of his start. For the third time in as many days, Ian Happ got the Cubs offense started in a hurry as he led things off with a leadoff double only to be left stranded on the bases. That hasn't happened as much lately as it did earlier in the year, but wasting opportunities like that does tend to backfire on you. That was the case in the bottom of the first as Imanaga struggled out of the gates in this one. James Wood picked up a one-out single off the left-hander before a rare walk put a pair of runners on base. In danger of letting this opportunity get away, Jose Tena came through with a clutch RBI double as the Nationals opened up an early 2-0 lead. That was the bulk of the damage off Imanaga as the Cubs offense didn't waste time responding. All it took was three singles to get the Cubs offense rolling as a Dansby Swanson single brought home Isaac Paredes and put the Cubs on the board. His single was followed by another Pete Crow-Armstrong double, and just like that, it was the Cubs in front 3-2. Leading 4-2 after a Happ RBI fielder's choice, it was Michael Busch tacking on as his RBI double gave the Cubs a 5-2 lead. Already with a massive inning under their belt, Cody Bellinger capped off the scoring with a two-run blast, and the Cubs scored seven times in the second to open up a 7-2 lead. Little did the Cubs know that homer would go down as the game-winning hit as the Nationals went to work against the Cubs pen late in the game. Washington did a great job of keeping things close early, with Dylan Crews leading off the bottom of the third with a solo shot to pull the Nationals within 7-3. Take that homer out of the mix, and Imanaga was dialed in as he retired the next 11 hitters he faced before getting through six innings and handing things off to the pen. First, Nate Pearson continued his excellent work as he scattered just one hit across two scoreless frames before handing things off to Tyson Miller in the ninth. Since being traded to the Cubs earlier this season, Miller has been about as good as can be, but at some point, you knew a bad outing was coming. Unfortunately, Friday was the bad outing we are referring to. Miller didn't have his best stuff, and that alone helped spark a Nationals comeback attempt. All it took was a Luis Garcia double to lead things off before a Joey Gallo walk put a pair of runners on and no outs. Two batters later, a former Cub, Ilderamo Vargas, came through with an RBI knock, and the Nationals were within 7-4. That was the end of the road for Miller as he was replaced by Drew Smyly. Like Miller, Smyly wasn't at his best as he walked CJ Abrams to start his outing before a strikeout had the Cubs on the verge of escaping. Unfortunately for him, the Nationals wouldn't go down without a fight as the Jacob Young single pulled the Nationals within 7-6 and had the tying run at second. It was as close as things would get the rest of the way as Keegan Thompson entered the game for Smyly, proceeded to strike out Crews to end the game, and gave the Cubs a 7-6 win. Chicago had nine hits in the game, with four coming from Happ and Busch.
