Nico Hoerner’s first career grand slam highlighted a five-run eighth inning and the Chicago Cubs overcame blowing a two-run lead in the top of the frame to beat the visiting Washington Nationals 8-3 on Wednesday night.
Mike Tauchman homered for one of his three hits and had three RBIs, and Yan Gomes, on his 36th birthday, gave the Cubs a 4-3 lead with his sacrifice fly against Mason Thompson (3-3) in the eighth. Then with two out, Hoerner (two hits) sent a 1-1 fastball from Cory Abbott well into the left field bleachers to break the contest open and help Chicago to a second straight victory — and get its first home series win since June 16-18.
Meanwhile, the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks got back on track after allowing nine runs over his previous two starts to yield one run on five hits while striking out five without a walk. However, he remained winless since June 21 after reliever Julian Merryweather (3-0) allowed a solo homer to ex-Cub Jeimer Candelario to open the eighth then surrendered consecutive two-out singles to Dominic Smith, Corey Dickerson and Luis Garcia (two RBIs) to tie things at 3-3.
Trevor Williams yielded two runs on seven hits and two walks with one strikeout in five innings for Washington, which is 1-4 since winning three straight. After giving up 14 runs in Tuesday’s 17-3 loss, the beleaguered Nationals’ bullpen allowed six in this contest.
Chicago wasted no time getting on the board as Tauchman opened the first going opposite field into the left-field bleachers for the 20th homer allowed by Williams this season. However, Washington tied it in the second when Garcia drove in a run with the second infield single of the inning.
Tauchman, though, came through again to the opposite field in the fourth with a rip down the left field line for a two-out, RBI double to give Chicago a 2-1 lead. He made it 3-1 an RBI drive off the right-center field ivy in the seventh but was thrown out going for a triple.
–Field Level Media
