Arrieta Solid As Cubs Defeat Nationals, 2-1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jake Arrieta pitched six strong innings, and the Chicago Cubs made a pair of first-inning runs hold up as they defeated the Washington Nationals, 2-1, on Thursday night.
Arrieta (5-4) rebounded from a pair of subpar outings, pitching six innings and giving up a run and six hits. Hector Rondon pitched the ninth for his 10th save.
Washington's Anthony Rendon, who missed 53 games due to injuries, had two hits in his season debut. He was up with runners on first and second and two outs in the ninth when Cubs catcher David Ross picked off Clint Robinson at first to end it.
Bryce Harper drove in a run with a sixth-inning groundout, snapping an 18-inning scoreless streak for Washington, which has lost six of seven.
Gio Gonzalez (4-3) allowed two runs and four hits over six innings. He struck out six and tied a season high with four walks.
The start of the game was delayed nearly two hours by rain.
The first two Nationals reached base in the seventh, but a trio of Chicago relievers combined to retire three straight.
Gonzalez had thrown 29 consecutive scoreless innings over his last four starts against Chicago, but the Cubs ended that streak in the first.
After a walk sandwiched between two singles loaded the bases with no outs, Junior Lake walked to force home a run. Another run scored when Starlin Castro grounded into a double play.
The Cubs got the leadoff batter on in the fourth and fifth innings against Gonzalez, but failed to score.
Thanks in part to Rendon's double past a diving Lake, Washington loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. Harper hit a soft grounder to short and was out on a bang-bang play at first as Span scored.
He lingered on the bag briefly, but manager Matt Williams had lost his challenge in the fourth inning when Danny Espinosa was called out attempting to steal second.
Ryan Zimmerman was hit by a pitch to load the bases again, but Anthony Rizzo made a jumping catch on Ian Desmond's liner.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: OF Chris Denorfia (left hamstring strain) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Tennessee.
Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg (strained left trapezius) played catch on flat ground for the second straight day. . RHP Doug Fister (right forearm tightness) and LHP Sammy Solis (left shoulder inflammation) threw bullpen sessions of 40 and 35 pitches, respectively. Neither reported any issues.
UP NEXT
Cubs: LHP Tsuyoshi Wada (0-0, 2.30) allowed a run in 5 1/3 innings of a 2-1 Cubs' loss to the Nationals on May 25. He's limited opponents to a .182 batting average.
Nationals: RHP Tanner Roark (1-2, 2.59) faces Wada and the Cubs for the second time in 11 days. He gave up a run in five innings to pick up the win on May 25.
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