Cubs give Lester, Schwarber love, then beat them (updated)

Tonight's series opener at Wrigley Field was always going to be about Jon Lester and Kyle Schwarber, one way or the other. The return of the two former Cubs to their old stomping grounds as members of the Nationals for the first time had been wildly anticipated for days in Chicago. And the North Side faithful showered both players with love all night.

Lester and Schwarber were touched by it all, to be sure. They appreciated the warm welcome home from the crowd of 11,144. But more than anything, they wanted to contribute to a victory. And even through Schwarber had his moment, homering into the famed Wrigley bleachers, it wasn't enough to overcome the three homers Lester served up in a 7-3 loss that surely won't sit well with either player.

"Wanted to walk away with a win tonight," Schwarber said during a postgame Zoom session with reporters.

On the heels of an uplifting Sunday win in Arizona, the Nationals arrived in Chicago for the start of a four-game series loaded with emotion. But once the hoopla over Lester and Schwarber subsided, it was another tepid effort at the plate that did them in.

The Nationals scored all three of their runs via two home runs: one by Trea Turner in the third, one by Schwarber in the fourth. They did next to nothing the rest of the night, aside from having a bases-loaded rally thwarted in the top of the eighth when second baseman Nico Hoerner dove to rob Starlin Castro of a likely RBI single.

"I thought (it was going to be a hit), especially the way it took a hop," manager Davey Martinez said. "He caught the ball behind him. That was a very good play."

The 30 minutes leading up to first pitch and the 30 minutes that followed were essentially one sustained standing ovation from Cubs fans directed at both Lester and Schwarber. Each had multiple opportunities to doff his cap (or helmet) to the crowd, which showered their returning heroes with love.

"It was definitely special," said Schwarber, who was the recipient of a tribute video from the franchise that designated him for assignment last winter. "I feel like in my time here, I just wanted to go out and play as hard as I can. I don't feel like I was anything special, anything like that. But for them to go ahead and do that, it was really nice. It meant a lot."

There was, however, a game to be played. And it didn't take long for Lester's former teammates to turn against him. With an aggressive gameplan, they jumped on the lefty with back-to-back singles in the bottom of the first, followed by Anthony Rizzo's sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.

The Cubs stayed aggressive and got a two-run homer from Jason Heyward, who drove an 89 mph fastball the other way in the second, then a first-pitch homer from Willson Contreras in the third. Ten batters in, a shell-shocked Lester had surrendered four runs, equaling his total from his first three starts of the season.

"A little surprised, but I kind of figured some of them would be a little bit uber-aggressive, just knowing me and that I'm around the zone," the lefty said. "We tried to pick our spots to slow them down, but obviously they beat me to a couple spots."

This was a night to get the ball in the air at Wrigley and let the cozy friendly confines take care of the rest. Trouble is, the Nationals couldn't get the ball off the ground for much of the evening. Continuing a trend that has persisted for weeks, they struggled to elevate the ball, and nine of their first 11 batters hit grounders, only one of them sneaking through for a hit.

Then Turner finally lifted a pitch from Adbert Alzolay and launched his 10th homer of the season, a solo shot to the back of the left field bleachers. The Nats leadoff man now ranks third in the National League in homers, on pace for 44 this season compared to only 31 stolen bases, his supposed forte.

Needing someone else to hit a ball hard with a positive launch angle, the Nationals watched as Schwarber (perhaps energized by the Twix bar Kris Bryant left for him in the field the previous inning) found pay dirt in the top of the fourth. His two-run homer to left-center brought a mixed reaction from the crowd, which applauded while also throwing the ball back onto the field.

"To put it in that spot and move it to a one-run game there, get the momentum back to our side, it felt good," said Schwarber, who wound up getting the ball for himself and had it authenticated. "Obviously, going against your former team and being DFA'd in that spot and going out and putting in a big hit there - in the moment, it felt good."

The Nats lineup would go mostly silent after that. Alzolay was pulled after five innings and only 63 pitches, giving way to a Chicago bullpen that cruised through the sixth and seventh.

And when Javy Báez delivered the Cubs' third homer of the night, an opposite-field drive in the sixth, Martinez strolled to the mound and Lester strolled back to the dugout. The crowd afforded him one last standing ovation, a moment Lester admitted in advance he missed last season when he made his final start in Chicago.

Under these circumstances, though, Lester didn't want any part of the adulation. As much as he appreciated the love from his former team, he showed up for work tonight determined to win the game for his current team, a goal he could not achieve.

"You have to realize, I'm a National, and I'm playing for these guys," he said. "I do appreciate it, as a person, as an individual. But I didn't pitch great, I didn't pitch terrible. I can't be tipping my hat walking off the field like that, being down 5-3 at that particular moment in the game. Is it appreciated? One hundred percent. It's a great moment. But I can't do that, being in the situation I'm in."