Bullpen falters late as Cubs walk off Nats in 3-2 win

The first two games of this series between the Nationals and Cubs started with leadoff homers. Yesterday, it was Denard Span delivering a bomb to right. And tonight, Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler deposited a 94 mph fastball from Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann over the ivy in right.

Two batters later, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo ripped a double down the right field line. Rizzo moved to third on a groundout by shortstop Starlin Castro, and then Zimmermann served up a two-out walk to catcher Miguel Montero. With right fielder Jorge Soler batting, Cubs manager Joe Maddon called for Montero to take off for second in hopes of giving Rizzo an opportunity to score. Zimmermann played it perfectly. After checking on Rizzo, Zimmermann wheeled and threw to Danny Espinosa in front of Montero. As Rizzo broke for the plate, Espinosa fired home to Wilson Ramos, who made a nice lunging grab and then easily tagged Rizzo out to end the inning.

The Nats had a good chance to even the score in the third with Tyler Moore on second base with two outs. Span hit a sharp grounder that appeared to be headed to left field until Castro went in the hole to make a nifty diving stop to save a run. The runners were safe at the corners but ended up stranded there as Ian Desmond grounded out to end the threat.

Update: The Nats struggled to figure out Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks all night as the right-hander only allowed three hits through the first six innings. But Bryce Harper came through to start the seventh. Harper hacked at a sinker from Hendricks and tossed his bat in disgust, thinking he had popped out to left. Meanwhile, the baseball was lifted high enough into the jet stream and carried beyond the ivy-covered wall for an opposite-field solo homer. Harper, who tied the major league-lead with 17 home runs, couldn't keep a straight face as he returned to the Nats' dugout after the blast.

Zimmermann made it through the seventh, allowing just the one run on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He threw a season-high 113 pitches.

Span continued throwing the lumber around in the eighth. With two outs, Span nailed a slider from Cubs right-hander Pedro Strop over the wall in right. The solo shot is Span's fifth on the season.

Nationals manager Matt Williams called on righty Aaron Barrett to start the bottom of the inning. Facing a full count, Cubs rookie Kris Bryant destroyed a Barrett slider well beyond the fence in the left. The solo moonshot tied the game.

That was only batter Barrett faced as Williams went to lefty Matt Thornton, who retired the next three Cubs in order.

All seven runs so far in the first two games of the series have come off a combined seven solo homers from the Nats and Cubs.

Update II: Yunel Escobar led off the ninth with a single. Harper then rifled a ball to center, but right at Fowler, for the first out. Ryan Zimmerman followed with a strikeout, but Escobar stole second on the play. With two outs, Ramos was at the plate with Escobar in scoring position. But for some reason, Escobar broke for third and was easily picked off for third out.

Lefty Matt Grace started the eighth. An ill-advised throwing error from Desmond led to Jonathan Herrera taking second base, and then rookie Addison Russell ended the game with a walk-off RBI double.

The Cubs beat the Nats 3-2.