Three solo home runs provided all the scoring at Wrigley Field on Monday even though the wind blew straight out. The Washington Nationals (27-18) got two of those home runs to defeat the Chicago Cubs (24-20) 2-1.
Denard Span (4) hit the first of his team's two solo shots when he led off the game by taking a 2-2 fastball from Tsuyoshi Wada over the right-filed wall. In the sixth, Wilson Ramos (3) hit the eventual game winner when he took Justin Grimm over the same wall to give the Nationals their margin of victory.
For the Cubs, Kris Bryant tied the game at 1-1 with a solo home run (6) of his own. Even with the wind blowing out, neither team could do anything more offensively.
The Cubs had one final chance in the ninth. Bryant was hit by a pitch to lead off, but the Cubs left him stranded there. The initial ruling was that the ball struck Bryant's bat and then landed in Ramos's catcher's mitt, which would have constituted strike three. Cubs manager Joe Maddon asked for a replay challenge, and the ruling turned out that the ball hit Bryant's forearm, putting the potential tying run at first with nobody out. The Cubs could not capitalize, though, as Drew Storen retired the next three hitters in succession.
Tanner Roark (W: 1-2, 2.49 ERA) pitched the minimum five innings to qualify for the win. He allowed one run (Bryant's home run) on only three hits while walking one and fanning three. Blake Treinen pitched two scoreless innings, and after some bullpen shuffling in the eighth, Storen (S: 15) closed it out by striking out Jorge Soler to end it.
Grimm (L: 1-1, 1.23) served up Ramos's home run to take the loss. He lasted just 2/3 of an inning. Cubs starter Wada pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing Span's home run as one of only four Nationals hits. He walked two and struck out six. Wada got into and out of a few jams, but he kept his team in the game.
On Tuesday, Washington's Jordan Zimmermann (4-2, 3.52) will take on Chicago's Kyle Hendricks (1-1, 4.14), who pitched a complete-game shutout his last time out on May 21. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EDT. Wednesday's marquee match-up features Max Scherzer against Jon Lester.