CHICAGO — The Cubs’ offensive hopes were dashed Wednesday night as they were blanked 2-0 by the Washington Nationals, evening the three-game series and exposing a missed opportunity early in the game.
Strong Pitching Outshines Cubs’ Early Momentum
The night started with promise for the Cubs. In the first inning, they loaded the bases with no outs after MacKenzie Gore surrendered three consecutive singles. But the Nationals’ left-hander settled in quickly, striking out Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson before inducing a foul out from Nico Hoerner to escape the jam unscathed.
That escape would set the tone for the rest of the night.
MacKenzie Gore Silences Chicago Bats
Gore (3-5) was electric, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing just three hits. He struck out seven, walked one, and threw 94 pitches, retiring 21 of the final 23 batters he faced. His dominance extended his streak to 13 consecutive scoreless innings across starts.
“His ability to stay composed and adjust after that shaky start was impressive,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said postgame.
Key Blow Comes In The Seventh
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh when Amed Rosario launched his third home run of the season — an opposite-field shot into the bullpen on the very first pitch of the inning from Cubs starter Matthew Boyd.
Boyd, who had carried a perfect game into the sixth, saw his outing unravel across two innings. He finished with 7 1/3 innings pitched, allowing just four hits and two earned runs while striking out seven. His record dropped to 5-3 on the season.
Insurance Run Pushes Nationals Ahead
Later in the eighth, Nasim Nuñez added an RBI double, driving in Robert Hassell III to give Washington a 2-0 cushion and end Boyd’s night.
Relievers Brad Lord and Kyle Finnegan closed the door for Washington, with Finnegan picking up his 17th save — despite allowing two runners in the ninth.
By The Numbers
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MacKenzie Gore: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB — ERA lowered from 3.67 to 2.87 over his last three starts.
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Matthew Boyd: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 7 K, 1 BB — Took the loss despite a strong outing.
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Cubs left 8 runners on base and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
What’s Next For The Cubs
As of Wednesday night, the Cubs had not announced a starter for Thursday’s series finale. They may opt to use an opener, similar to their strategy last Saturday when Drew Pomeranz started a 2-0 win over Cincinnati.
The Nationals will counter with Jake Irvin (5-1, 3.93 ERA), making his 13th start of the season.
How concerned are you about the Cubs’ missed opportunities this season? Should they make changes to the batting lineup or pitching rotation? Share your thoughts with us at ChicagoSuburbanFamily.com.
