Dansby Swanson collected three hits and four runs and Cody Bellinger had three RBIs to lift the host Chicago Cubs to a 7-6 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday.
Chicago’s Seiya Suzuki launched a two-run homer and Ian Happ had three hits and scored twice. Isaac Paredes drove in a pair of runs for the Cubs (78-75), who banged out 12 hits to snap a modest two-game skid.
Washington’s Joey Gallo belted a three-run homer and James Wood, Andres Chaparro and Jose Tena each drove in a run. CJ Abrams recorded four hits and scored twice for the Nationals (68-85), who have yielded 29 runs during their four-game losing skid.
Chicago overcame a 3-1 deficit by scoring two runs in both the third and fifth innings before Gallo answered with a three-run shot in the sixth. Gallo fouled off two pitches before depositing a 1-2 sinker from Drew Smyly over the wall in right field for his eighth homer of the season and second in his last four games.
Bellinger had an RBI single off Robert Garcia (3-6) to forge a 6-6 tie in the seventh inning before Paredes plated Swanson with a groundout. Garcia took the loss after permitting two runs on three hits in one inning.
The late uprising made a winner out of Ethan Roberts (1-0), who recorded his first career major-league win after tossing one scoreless inning of relief. Jorge Lopez did not allow a hit in a scoreless eighth inning, and Porter Hodge stranded two runners in scoring position in the ninth to secure his sixth save of the season.
Happ singled to lead off the third inning and Suzuki stepped up two batters later and sent a 3-2 sinker from Patrick Corbin over the wall in left-center field. Suzuki’s homer was his 21st of the season.
The Cubs quickly loaded the bases in the fifth inning before Bellinger’s groundout to first base plated Happ. Derek Law relieved Corbin and allowed Paredes’ sacrifice fly that scored Swanson and gave Chicago a 5-3 lead.
