Series 14 Nationals at Cubs

    Game 1

     The Cubs put the Rosey feelings aside quickly as they jumped on Lester for a run in the first and 2 more in the second. Rizzo had the sac fly to score the first and Heyward hit a 2 run shot to get the Cubs rolling. Turner would get the Nationals on the board with a solo shot in the 3rd. Contreras would answer with a solo bomb of his own in the bottom half of the 3rd. Then Schwarber would remind Cubs fans of why we loved him with a 2 run bomb in the fourth to get the Nationals within 1. Baez would add an insurance run with his solo shot in the 6th and Lester would leave the game afterward. The Cubs would get two more insurance runs in the 7th and eighth as the Cubs would cruise to a 7-3 victory.

    Game 2

    The Cubs got on the board first again in game 2. Contreras had an opposite-field single that plated both Hoerner and Bote after they were sacrificed over by Davies in the third. The Nats would tie the game up in the fifth though on a Turner single and then two more singles by Soto and Zimmerman. The Cubs would plate another run on an RBI infield single by Bryant in the bottom half of the fifth. The Nationals would respond right away with a solo shot from Castro to even things up again. Davies would leave after giving up a single to Harrison, but Thompson would clean up the mess to keep it tied at 3. The Cubs would quickly regain the lead on a 2-run homer by Bote. Happ would add an insurance run on a solo homer in the eighth. The Cubs would finish them off with Kimbrel getting the save with a perfect ninth with 2 K's.

    Game 3

     The Cubs would get another early lead in this one as Hoerner knocked in Bote in the bottom of the second only for Sogaard to then be thrown out at home. on an ambitious send from the third base coach. AAs has been the case in this series though there was a quick response. Turner singled in Robles in the Top of the third. Turner would then steal second and later score on a wild pitch from Arrieta giving the Nationals the lead. The Nationals would extend their lead to 4-1 with a run in the fourth and fifth inning. The Cubs would get a run back but squander a chance for more in the fifth. Happ had a bases-loaded single that only plated one run but there was only 1 out at the time. Contreras would then strike out followed by a long flyout by Bote to end the threat and leave the bases juiced. The Cubs would get another run in the ninth as Baez homered to make it a one-run game. It would end as such as Hand would strike out the side and the Nationals would end the Cubs' hope of playing for a sweep.

    Game 4

    The Nationals jumped to an early lead in this one. After a walk and then a double play, Bell and Schwarber went back to back to grab a 2-0 early lead. The Cubs would get one back in the second as Bote and Hoerner got singles and Martini got a sacrifice fly to score Bote. The Cubs would take the lead in third on a 2-out 2-run homer by Happ. The Cubs would tack on one run when more was possible in the 4th as Pederson drove in Martini and Rizzo should have driven in Williams if not for confusion between Williams and third base coach Willie Harris. Baez would ground out to the pitcher to leave the bases loaded. Happ would hit another bomb in the fifth as the Cubs extended their lead to 3 after being down 2. The relievers pitched great and Kimbrel would finish the Nats off in the top of the ninth.

    The good

    Two relatively comfortable wins to start the series is always a positive. Seeing Schwarber and Lester return and get the reception they deserve was heartwarming as well. The bullpen was extremely solid throughout this series, totaling 16 and 1/3 innings with no runs given up. Averaging 5 runs a game and 2 homers a game is incredible for a 4 game series. Being over .500 is extremely nice going into a huge series with the Cardinals.

    The bad

    Not much to quibble over in this series overall. One minor problem was the starters not lasting long into the game. The bullpen pitched 4 or more innings in each game and that won't be sustainable throughout the year. Not taking full advantage of every opportunity could of bit them harder than it did in this series. Leaving the bases loaded cost us game 3 but there were other opportunities wasted that didn't feel as bad as the Cubs still won the other 3 games.

    Looking ahead

    This weekends series against the Cardinals just became more important. A series against a hated rival is always important, but as the top two teams in the division, there is more on the line. The Cubs need a series win to remain close and show they will be a competitor this season. A series loss puts us back to .500 and might signify that this is truly just a middling team.