Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (Simulated Game 41): Cubs 11, Nationals 3 – Cubs Pound Out a Mother’s Day Victory

The Chicago Cubs (27-14) haven’t lost a series since the first three-game set at Wrigley Field against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Sunday afternoon offered them a chance to keep that streak alive. The Cubs pounded out 11 runs against the Washington Nationals (17-22), taking an 11-3 Mother’s Day victory and two of three in the series, via MLB The Show 20.

Kris Bryant got the Cubs on the board immediately, hitting a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 1st off of Nationals starter AnÌbal Sánchez to put them ahead, 1-0. It was just the first of several homers the Cubs would hit in the game, with the wind howling straight out to center field.

Kyle Hendricks wasn’t bothered too much by the strong wind and was absolutely dominant for the majority of the game, shutting the Nats out for the first seven innings. They were able to get to him in the 8th, however, when Asdrúbal Cabrera and Adam Eaton each hit wind-aided solo shots. But by then, the game was far out of reach for Washington.

The Cubs continued their onslaught against Sánchez in the 3rd inning. Anthony Rizzo reached on a fielding error by catcher Kurt Suzuki, and he scored on an double by Javier Báez. The Cubs shortstop then scored on an double by Kyle Schwarber. Next up was Ian Happ, who crushed a hard line drive into right field that left the ballpark in a hurry.

Now ahead 5-0, the Cubs weren’t finished. Sánchez was, however, having thrown 2 1/3 innings with five runs – four earned – on eight hits wit no walks and two strikeouts. Happ drove in another run in the 4th with a triple and Nico Hoerner made the score 7-0 with a solo shot to lead off the 5th. Rizzo drove in two more in the inning with a double, making it 9-0.

Schwarber put the finishing touch on the game, clubbing a two-run homer to deep right field against reliever Daniel Hudson in the 8th, giving the Cubs an 11-2 lead. Rowan Wick allowed a meaningless run in the 9th when former Cub Starlin Castro hit a home run to deep center field. All in all, the two teams combined for seven home runs on the day.

Notes: Happ was 3-for-5 and came just a double shy of hitting for the cycle … The Cubs will welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to Wrigley Field on Monday to start a three-game series. The Brewers took two of three from the Cubs at Miller Park to open the season, but the Cubs have gone 26-12 since. Milwaukee is just 18-20 since that series.

Key Players:

Schwarber – 5-for-5, 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI
Bryant – 2-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI
Happ – 3-for-5, 3B, HR, 3 RBI
Rizzo – 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI
Hendricks – 8 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 7 K
Eaton – 2-for-4, HR, RBI
Castro – 1-for-3, BB, HR, RBI
Cabrera – 1-for-1, HR, RBI

Winning Pitcher – Hendricks (4-2)
Losing Pitcher – Sánchez (0-3)
Save – None
Home Runs – Bryant (13), Happ (8), Schwarber (6), Hoerner (2), Castro (5), Eaton (4), Cabrera (1)

Sunday Standings:

Cubs – 27-14
Reds – 25-15
Brewers – 20-21
Cardinals – 18-23
Pirates – 12-27