LaRoche gives Nats early lead in Game 2 (Nats win 7-2)

Coming into tonight's game, the Nationals needed to win in order to return to D.C. with a series split as well as a winning road trip. Apparently nobody told Adam LaRoche that Cubs ace Jeff Samardzija was on the mound. LaRoche hit his 11th homer of the season to give the Nats a 1-0 lead in the second inning. The homer was just the sixth Samardzija has allowed all season. Nats righty Blake Treinen has tossed two scoreless innings. Update: Another inning and another run off Samardzija. Nate McLouth hit a leadoff double to start the third. Treinen then sacrificed McLouth over to third to set the stage for an Anthony Rendon sac fly. The Nats lead 2-0 after three innings. Update II: Luis Valbuena's two-run homer with one out tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Treinen got the second out of the inning and worked a 1-2 count to the Cubs' Nate Schierholtz before the skies opened up and the tarp was put on the field. We're officially in a delay, folks. Update III: Treinen struck out Schierholtz after a 55-minute rain delay. We're headed to the fifth inning tied at 2-2. Update IV: Catcher Wilson Ramos hit the first pitch in the top of the fifth inning out of the park to give the Nats a 3-2 lead. The homer came on the first pitch Samardzija threw after the rain delay. This is the first time all season Samardzija has allowed more than one home run in a game. But the Nats weren't done scoring. One out later, Nate McLouth was hit by a pitch. Treinen then struck out trying to bunt, but Rendon followed with a single. RBI singles from Kevin Frandsen and Jayson Werth, and an error from Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo made the score 6-2. Update V: Ross Detwiler and Jayson Werth walked in the ninth inning. LaRoche drove in Detwiler to give the Nats a 7-2 lead as the game shifts to the bottom of the ninth. Detwiler took over in the seventh inning and will pitch the bottom of the ninth. Update VI: And that's a ballgame. The Nats beat the Cubs 7-2. Detwiler was perfect through three innings of relief work. LaRoche had two hits and drove in two runs. Treinen picked up his first career MLB win after throwing five innings. He allowed four hits, two runs, walked one and struck out three. Treinen improves to 1-3 with a 2.29 ERA. After sweeping today's doubleheader, the Nats improve to 43-38 and head back to D.C. with a winning road trip record. Oh, and the Nats are currently tied for first in the National League East.