The Cubs had the last laugh in a seesaw affair against the Nationals at Wrigley Field Thursday night. Both sides suffered bullpen meltdowns but Chicago was able to cling to a one-run lead over the final two innings to earn a 7-6 victory.
Washington went ahead on Javier Assad via a run-scoring single by DH Andrés Chaparro in the top of the 1st inning. Cody Bellinger tied game in the bottom of the frame with his own RBI single against veteran lefty Patrick Corbin.
The pattern repeated itself in the 3rd, when James Wood hit a smash at Ian Happ that the left fielder couldn’t corral on what became a go-ahead double. José Tena then knocked in Wood to make it a 3-1 contest. Seiya Suzuki evened things up with a booming two-run homer in the bottom of the inning.
Watch it fly @suzuki_seiya_sb 👋 pic.twitter.com/MMJ5LNjM34
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 20, 2024
Corbin ran out of gas in the 5th with two singles and a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Bellinger grounded out to bring home the go-ahead tally and Isaac Paredes added a sacrifice fly off new reliever Derek Law to put the North Siders on top 5-3.
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Drew Smyly got another chance in a high-leverage situation, coming on with runners on second and third and two out in the 6th and big left-hander Joey Gallo at the plate. Gallo turned around an inside sinker and lifted it over the right field wall for a three-run dinger that gave the Nats a 6-5 lead.
The Cubs answered against Robert Garcia in the bottom of the 7th starting with a pair of hits by Happ and Dansby Swanson. Bellinger then singled to pick up his third RBI Thursday and tie the game at 6-6. Paredes stepped to bat and grounded to third, which allowed Swanson to score the go-ahead run and put the home team front 7-6.
That would be the final with Jorge López pitching the 8th and Porter Hodge working around a couple of baserunners to save the game in the 9th. (Box score)
Key Moment
In the 8th inning, Washington had a chance to turn a double play with the slow-footed Paredes running. Instead, third baseman Tena took the out at first base and allowed the winning run to score.
Why the Cubs Won
They were able to get just enough offense to overcome another bullpen issue.
Stats That Matter
- Assad hasn’t had his best stuff lately but he still battles and usually gives his team a chance: 5 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 5 K, and 1 BB.
- Swanson had three more hits and has done a very nice job rebuilding his numbers after a rough start.
- The top four hitters in the Cubs lineup had 10 hits Thursday night.
Bottom Line
The Cubs’ double play-combo has been unbelievable defensively all season long. The same thing could not be said about their performance at the plate the first four months of 2024. That has changed in a big way since the All-Star break and both Swanson and Nico Hoerner are approaching league-average OPS. Now, obviously, you want better numbers than that, but this becomes a very good team if they can hit more like this from the beginning of 2025. Let’s hope they can build on this finish going forward.
On Deck
The same two squads are at it again Friday afternoon at 1:20pm CT. Jameson Taillon faces off against old friend Trevor Williams in a game available on Marquee and 670 The Score.
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The post Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/19/24): Cubs 7, Nationals 6 – Cubs Survive Back and Forth Affair appeared first on Cubs Insider.