Game two at Nationals Park has John Lackey up against the struggling Gio Gonzalez with Lackey looking to secure win number 8. Dexter Fowler would lead off the game with a single to right but is caught up in a double play ball hit by Heyward. That would be all the action in the first two innings with Lackey having three K’s to Gio’s 1.
Gio would continue the third with getting the first two outs of the inning but gives up a single to Lackey. Fowler would smack his 19th double of the year pushing Lackey to third. Heyward redeems himself with a two RBI double. A visit to the mound and they decide to walk Bryant but gets Rizzo to strikeout to end the top half. Lackey gives up a lead off single to Danny Espinosa but strikes out Jose Lobaton. Then he hits Gio and gives up a single to Ben Revere to load the bases. Jayson Werth would send a fly ball to right scoring Danny for a sac fly. Harper walks but Daniel Murphy lines out to end the inning. Cubs 2, Nats 1 after 3.
Ben Zobrist leads off with a walk, Baez grounds out to Gio pushing Zo to second. Zo steals third as Russell reaches by walking. David Ross singles to center scoring Zo for another run. Dusty Baker visits Gio again calming him down enough to strike out Lackey and get Fowler to flyout to end the inning. Cubs up 3-1. Lackey adds another K in his half of the inning for a 1-2-3.
Gio gets a quick 1-2-3 fifth. Lackey tries to follow but puts two men on but gets out of the inning with no runs added. Gio strikes out the side in the sixth, Lackey only gets two K’s.
Gio would walk Ross in the top of the seventh and Lackey’s bunt would push him to second prompting a call to the pen for Oliver Perez who shuts down the inning. Lackey gives up a walk by hitting Espinosa who ends up at third on Lobaton’s double to right. Maddon decides to bring in Pedro strop who gets out of the inning but not before allowing Danny to cross the plate. After 7 it’s 3-2 Cubs.
Sammy Solis enters the game and gives up a two out double to Zo but strikes out Baez to end the inning. Travis Wood comes in for the Cubs walking Harper and getting Murphy to line out to bring in Hector Rondon who gives up a single to Ryan Zimmerman, then a sac fly to Rendon who brings in Harper to tie the game.
With Solis still in for the Nats, he walks Russell to start the 9th who moves to second on Ross’s sac bunt. Albert Almora, Jr who came into the game when Wood was pulled smacks a sharp liner to left scoring Russell putting the Cubs back up by 1 going into the bottom of the 9th. Hector Rondon still in also makes it a 1-2-3 bottom half to end the game and add another W for the Cubs. In what could be a playoff preview the Cubs really have the Nationals number making this a better foreshadow for the Cubs.
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