Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/8/22): Cubs 6, Nationals 3 – Young Guns Lead Cubs to Victory
The Cubs attempted to take advantage of a rare favorable matchup Monday night against the Nationals. They were able to do just that with the help of their young power bats.
Chicago got to veteran Anibal Sanchez in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Nelson Velazquez hit a solo home run through the wind into left field, then two batters later, his good friend Christopher Morel blasted a two-run homer to nearly the exact same spot.
Keegan Thompson gave up a lot of hard contact but the only damage against him came on a solo home run from Luke Voit in the 6th. Nico Hoerner singled in a run in the bottom of the frame to make it a 4-1.
The Cubs added more insurance in the 7th inning with a Willson Contreras RBI single and sacrifice fly from Seiya Suzuki. The Nationals did not give up easily with Joey Meneses taking Brandon Hughes deep to cut the lead to 6-3 in the 8th.
Rowan Wick closed out the 9th with a strike ’em out/throw ’em out double play. (Box score)
Why the Cubs Won
They were able to add important insurance runs late after taking an early lead.
Eye on the Future
- Velázquez had three hits on Monday and has four home runs since the All-Star break.
- Morel was good at the plate but had some wild throws at third.
- Thompson got outs despite not having his best stuff and did get some assistance from the wind blowing in: 6 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 3 K, and 0 BB.
Stats That Matter
- Contreras had two hits and he displayed his big arm nailing a pair of runners, including, one on the final play of the game Monday.
- This was the first time the Cubs hit more than one home run in a contest at Wrigley since June 30.
Bottom Line
While the win means very little to the Cubs, the players who contributed to the outcome are very important to their future. Hopefully, this is the start of a good run to end the season for Velázquez and Morel.
On Deck
Game two of the series is Tuesday night at 7:05pm CT. Marcus Stroman is on the mound taking on Paolo Espino in a game available on Marquee Sports Network and 670 The Score.