This one turned quiet into loud in a single inning. Washington scratched across a run in the fourth, then blew it open with five more in the fifth, and Cade Cavalli made sure none of it mattered on the other side. The Nationals beat the Cubs 7-0 at Nationals Park.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| WSH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 7 | 10 | 0 |
Cavalli was the story from the mound. Over 8.0 innings, he allowed just 1 hit and 0 runs, walking 2 and striking out 10. He needed 103 pitches to get through eight, and the Nationals never had to turn to the bullpen for more than a single scoreless inning behind him. It was his 10th win of the season, and his ERA now sits at 3.36.
Washington broke the tie in the fourth when Crews doubled to left and Ortiz scored, the go-ahead run in a game the Nationals would not relinquish. The floodgates opened in the fifth: Pinckney's sacrifice fly to right brought home Vivas, then Ortiz homered to center, a 414-foot shot that scored Chaparro and Abrams alongside him for three runs, and Lile capped the inning with a single to right that brought in Crews. Washington added one more in the eighth when Vivas singled to left and Lile scored, pushing the margin to 7-0.
Kevin Gausman took the loss for Chicago, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits over 4.2 innings with 7 strikeouts and just 1 walk. The Cubs' offense never found its footing against Cavalli, managing only a single hit all night, and the bullpen behind Gausman held Washington scoreless the rest of the way, but the damage was already done.
Ortiz finished 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI, raising his season totals to 4 homers and 8 RBI with a .333 average. The win moved Washington to 60-63 and extended its win streak, while Chicago fell to 71-51 with the loss snapping its momentum.