This looked like a signature win for this team as Anthony Rendon shocked the Cubs with a 2-run home run to put the Nationals up 3-2 in the 7th inning. The Nationals continued to put runners on base, and Brian Goodwin entered the game as a pinch-hitter and made the score 4-2 with a bases loaded single. Bryce Harper stepped in with one-out and bases loaded and struck-out. Ryan Zimmerman followed Harper and grounded-out to push the 4-2 lead into the 8th inning. After a scoreless 8th inning from both team, the Nationals turned to Blake Treinen who was called-in to pitch for the save.
Treinen had thrown 42 pitches in this series already and looked sharp against the Cubs lead-off man Addison Russell who he struck-out, but then Treinen hit Jeimer Candelario on the knee. Joe Maddon went to Victor Carantini to pinch-hit and he hit a grounder right to Stephen Drew at shortstop for what looked like a game-ending doubleplay but Daniel Murphy could not turn on 2nd base and held onto the baseball. With 2 outs, Javier Baez then singled between 2nd base and 1st base through the hole putting runners at 3rd base and 1st base. Tommy LaStella lined a ball that tipped off of the top of Stephen Drew’s glove to score Carantini to make the score 4-3.
Chris Speier who was the acting manager because Dusty Baker was ejected from the game, and Speier stuck with Blake Treinen instead of going to Jacob Turner. Treinen promptly gave up a 2-run double to Jon Jay in the gap for a 5-4 Cubs lead. Treinen threw 18 pitches in the inning to run his pitch count in the series to 60.
The Nats rolled over in the 9th inning 1-2-3 to end a disappointing game. To add to the misery, Trea Turner was hit on his right wrist by a pitch thrown from Pedro Strop and he was removed from the game and x-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture in the wrist. The timetable for his return is unknown.
Not to be forgotten, Joe Ross threw 6 2/3 innings of 2-run baseball against Jon Lester who was not sharp but only surrendered 1-run.
