Randy Wells put together a predictable start on Wednesday night, while Carlos Pena and Aramis Ramriez both hit two run blasts, but it still wasn’t enough as the Cubs fell to the Nationals 5-4.
Wells threw four innings, giving up four runs on ten hits in that span, walking one and striking out five. The four runs came on homers by Danny Espinosa in the first inning and Ryan Zimmermann in the fifth.
The Cubs kept it close for most of the game, with Carlos Pena matching Espinosa’s first frame homer in the top of the second, and Aramis Ramirez tying the game at four with his own two run shot in the sixth.
The game was tied going into the seventh, and that’s where it fell apart for the Cubs. In the bottom of the inning, Michael Morse led off with a double against Kerry Wood. Jayson Werth hit a fly ball that moved Morse to third. The Nationals first tired a suicide squeeze and failed, and then tried again on the very next pitch and succeeded to score the go-ahead run.
The Cubs couldn’t make a comeback in the eighth or ninth, despite Reed Johnson leading the eighth off with a single. Drew Storen closed out the game and picked up his 22nd save of the season.
The Cubs will try to avoid the four game sweep on Thursday, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:05 P.M., CDT.