Joey Wiemer and Keibert Ruiz homered while Jake Irvin struck out seven to lead the visiting Washington Nationals to a 6-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
Wiemer continued his torrid start to the season as he was 3-for-3 with a walk and three RBIs as Washington claimed the three-game series. By reaching base in each of his first eight plate appearances as a National, he tied the record for most consecutive plate appearances with a base to begin a tenure with a club since 1961.
He tied Jeremy Hazelbaker, who also had eight straight with the Diamondbacks in 2017, and Steve Henderson, who did it with the Mariners in 1983.
Alex Bregman had two solo home runs and Ian Happ also homered for the Cubs.
After back-to-back singles by Brady House and Daylen Lile, Wiemer pounded a splitter on a 2-1 count over the wall in left-center field as the Nationals took a 3-0 first-inning lead.
The Nationals’ bullpen gave up one run over the game’s final four innings in relief of Irvin (1-0), who notched the win for Washington as he went five innings, gave up three hits and two runs and struck out seven. Clayton Beeter pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season.
Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (0-1) settled in after the Wiemer homer as he pitched five innings, scattered six hits, gave up four runs, fanned seven and walked two.
Wiemer’s first career triple led off the fourth inning, an opposite-field line drive that bounded all the way to the wall. But Imanaga induced a strikeout and a pair of popouts as Wiemer was stranded at third.
Chicago’s offense came alive in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back home runs. Bregman’s first homer was to straightaway center field. Moments later, Happ homered for the second straight game as he found the basket in left field to cut the Nationals’ lead to 3-2.
Lile walked to lead off the sixth, which ended the day for Imanaga. Chicago reliever Phil Maton walked Wiemer and hit Abrams to load the bases. Washington took a 4-2 lead on a Ruiz sacrifice fly.
Washington tacked on more insurance runs in the eighth when Ruiz launched a Hoby Milner offering to deep left field for a two-run homer and a 6-2 lead.
Bregman’s second solo shot of the game cut the Cubs’ deficit to 6-3 in the eighth.
–Field Level Media
