Ramon Ortiz gave up three runs in his first inning of work in a Cubs uniform. But then he settled down and managed to give up just four more hits over his remaining five innings, keeping the Cubs very much in the second game of their series with the Nationals.
Yet it wasn’t enough. Chicago chipped away at the deficit, scoring two in the top of the sixth as Aramis Ramirez blasted yet another home run, but that would be all the club could do on the night. The Cubs had just two more base runners in the 7th-9th innings, and neither managed to make it past second base.
Ross Detwiler, the spot starter for the Nationals, was simply too good on the evening. He gave up two runs on four hits over 5.1 innings pitched, and the Washington bullpen took care of the rest as a combination of four relievers threw another 3.2 scoreless innings. Drew Storen managed to net his 21st save of the season in the victory.
It was yet another disappointing day for the Cubs, who will play the Nationals in game three of the four game set on Wednesday evening in D.C. First pitch will be at 6:05 P.M., CDT.