The game turned into a home run derby, and Alex Bregman won it by himself. The Cubs outlasted the Nationals 12-6 at Nationals Park in a game that swung through three lead changes before Chicago's power finally buried Washington.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 13 | 2 |
| WSH | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 1 |
Bregman went 3-for-3 with three home runs, seven RBIs and two walks, scoring three runs in the win. His first blast came with Chicago tied in the fifth, a three-run shot to left center that sent Swanson and Crow-Armstrong home and put the Cubs in front 4-1. He added a two-run homer to left in the sixth and closed his night with another two-run shot to left center in the eighth, extending Chicago's lead to 12-5. Dansby Swanson also had a big night, going 2-for-4 with a homer, a double and two RBIs.
Washington twice fought back into the game. Ford's infield single in the second brought home Ford — the Nationals' first run — and gave them an early 1-0 lead. But Chicago tied it in the fifth when Crow-Armstrong doubled home Ramirez, and Bregman's three-run homer answered right back to put the Cubs ahead 4-1. Washington rallied again in the bottom of the fifth: Ford doubled home House to make it 4-2, then Lile singled home Ford and Pinckney to tie it at 4-4. The tie did not last. In the sixth, Swanson's double scored Happ for a 5-4 lead that Chicago never relinquished, and Suzuki's two-run single and Bregman's homer blew the game open at 9-4.
Washington's offense could not keep pace despite Ortiz's solo homer in the sixth and Tena's solo shot in the ninth. Starter David Peterson worked five innings for Chicago, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits with 6 strikeouts to pick up the win, while Javier Assad closed it out with a two-run, four-inning relief outing for the save. On the Washington side, reliever Tom Cosgrove was tagged for the loss after allowing 3 runs (1 earned) in just a third of an inning. The Nationals' bullpen as a whole surrendered 9 runs across five innings, unable to slow Chicago's bats.
The result extended Chicago's winning streak to three games, improving the Cubs to 71-50. Washington, now on a two-game losing streak, fell to 59-63.