Roark, Ramos Lead Nationals Past Cubs, 2-1
CHICAGO (AP) — Wilson Ramos hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth, Tanner Roark pitched five effective innings and the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs, 2-1, on Monday.
Denard Span also homered for Washington, which has won eight of nine.
Making his first start of the season in place of the injured Doug Fister, Roark (1-2) allowed rookie Kris Bryant's sixth home run and struck out three. Four relievers combined for four innings of two-hit ball, with Drew Storen working the ninth for his NL-best 15th save in 16 attempts — closing out the five-hitter.
Cubs left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada allowed one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings in his second start since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Jason Grimm (1-1) relieved Wada and yielded Ramos' two-out drive to right.
Two of the game's top young stars — Washington right fielder Bryce Harper and Bryant, Chicago's rookie third baseman — faced each other for the first time in a major league game.
Bryant went deep in the first and also had an infield single. He reached in the ninth when a replay review showed he was hit by a pitch, but Storen retired the next three batters.
Harper went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. He also made a leaping catch at the wall on Anthony Rizzo's fly ball in the third.
Wada struck out six and walked two while throwing 83 pitches. He began the season on the disabled list with a groin injury.
Roark won 15 games last season, but was shifted to the bullpen when Washington signed free agent Max Scherzer.
The 22-year-old Harper and 23-year-old Bryant are from Las Vegas and faced each other in games as late as high school.
"We grew up playing against each other, playing with each other and now it's a bigger stage and obviously that's pretty cool to do, living out our dreams," Bryant said before the game. "It's something we always wanted to do."
Leading off the game, Span smashed a 2-2 pitch off Wrigley Field's new scoreboard in right. But Bryant connected in the bottom half, lining a 1-0 pitch into the first row of bleachers in left.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Nationals: OF Jayson Werth (bruised left wrist) will rejoin the team in Chicago on Tuesday but isn't expected to play. "We'll see where he's at as far as swinging the bat," manager Matt Williams said. "If he's ready to do that then we'll get improvement and get him going." ... Fister, on the DL since May 15 with right forearm tightness, is expected to start throwing later this week, according to Williams.
UP NEXT
Nationals RHP Jordan Zimmerman (4-2, 3.52 ERA) faces RHP Kyle Hendricks (1-1, 4.14 ERA) on Tuesday night. Hendricks pitched his first career shutout in his last outing on Thursday in San Diego. Zimmerman is 0-3 in three career appearances in Wrigley Field and has not pitched there in two seasons.
PREGAME PLEASANTRIES
The even-tempered Bryant and often-brash Harper exchanged compliments in separate pregame chats with the media.
"When we were younger, we use to call (Bryant) 'silk,'" Harper said. "He was so smooth with everything he did."
"We have very different personalities," Bryant said. "It's good to have guys who wear their heart on the sleeve and he's one of those guys. It's awesome to see that. He plays so hard for his team."
Although Bryant said he hasn't stayed in close contact with Harper, he said he hoped to reach out to the slugger in the offseason so the two might "play some golf, hang out and work out."
SWEET HOME
Roark is a native of Wilmington, Illinois, about an hour south of Chicago and attended the University of Illinois. He said a "ton" of friends and family members planned to attend Monday's game, his third appearance at Wrigley Field.
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