Cubs aced out in D.C.
Scherzer king of the hill in opener; Harper’s jack gives Nationals a late lead in nightcap before another rain delay
WASHINGTON — As the Cubs enter the final day of a four-city, 11-game odyssey against some of the National League’s elite pitchers, playoff-like tension and a recent series of tedious rain delays, the simple familiarity of returning Monday night to Wrigley Field will provide some comfort.
“You never know what you’re going to get,” pitcher Kyle Hendricks said Saturday. “It’s weird.” And tenuous.
In the first game of their doubleheader, the the Nationals humbled the Cubs 10-3 as Max Scherzer pitched a complete game. Rain delayed the opener 2 hours, 10 minutes, so with the delays of 1:21 before the start Friday night and 2:55 before the postponement the Cubs have had to endure 6:26 of weather-induced idleness in two days.
And in the second game, Victor Caratini hit a grand slam in the fourth inning, but Bryce Harper smacked a two-run homer off left-hander Justin Wilson to cap a three-run rally in the seventh that vaulted the Nationals to a 6-5 lead. Then the teams were forced to endure another rain delay after 7½ innings
Cubs left-hander Cole Hamels was plagued by five walks in 52⁄3 innings in the nightcap.
In a season that has forced the Cubs to adjust because of injuries and ineffectiveness to starting pitchers Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood, a shoulder ailment that caused slugger Kris Bryant to miss 51 games and the likelihood that closer Brandon Morrow won’t return this season, perseverance and resourcefulness will be stretched thin to the end of the regular season.
Caratini provided a lift with his slam that temporarily alleviated some of the feeling of helplessness after left-hander Jaime Garcia walked three batters and was pulled after facing just five in the first game. Left-hander Jon Lester couldn’t go after throwing one inning and 14 pitches Friday night.
As a result, the Cubs adjusted their rotation so Lester will make his next start Monday night in the opener of a National League Central showdown against the Brewers, with left-hander Joe Quintana and Kyle Hendricks getting an extra day of rest. The Cubs led had a three-game lead over the Brewers pending the outcome of Saturday’s nightcap.
“If you’re feeling down or your energy level is low, you can be picked up a lot easier at home,” Hendricks said. “The crowd helps a ton. But on the road, you have to find that within yourself and within a group. Guys push each other.
“You know when the energy is down. Those guys who aren’t playing that day pick up the energy in the dugout.”
Garcia’s early knockout forced manager Joe Maddon to employ his bullpen sooner but he was able to preserve late-inning specialists Pedro Strop, Jesse Chavez, Wilson, Steve Cishek and Carl Edwards Jr. for the second game.
But Cishek failed to protect a two-run lead in the top of the seventh, and Wilson surrendered the homer to Harper.
With Garcia knocked out early in Game 1, the only consolation was that Maddon cleared his bench late and inserted speedster Terrance Gore, who singled in the ninth off Scherzer for his first major-league hit after 4½ seasons and 15 plate appearances.
But Scherzer (17-6) struck out 11 en route to his second complete game of the season. After allowing a double to Tommy La Stella with one out in the first, Scherzer retired the next 15 batters.
The Cubs also committed three errors — tying a season high — that led to three unearned runs in the first game.
Maddon elected to not start Javier Baez and Bryant, who were a combined 1-for-18 against Scherzer but they made pinchhitting appearances and were retired.
Gore provided a spark in the second game when he entered as a pinch-runner in the seventh and stole second and third base to set up a Bryant RBI double for a short-lived 5-3 lead.