Nationals find the right formula in 4-2 win over Cubs

CHICAGO - The Nationals' formula for beating the Cubs this afternoon? A couple of Daniel Murphy blasts. A quality start from Tanner Roark. And eight outs from their trio of new relievers.

Dusty Baker couldn't have drawn it up much better.

Murphy's two early homers gave the Nationals the lead, Roark then preserved it with 6 1/3 strong innings and then Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle combined to finish off an impressive 4-2 victory in the opener of this big weekend series between division leaders.

Murphy has been providing home runs for two seasons now, and Roark has been authoring quality starts on and off for four seasons. But the trio of relievers locking down a slim lead late, that was a new and hugely encouraging development for the Nationals.

Kintzler entered with one out in the seventh, after Roark served up a two-run homer to Javier Báez that turned a 3-0 lead into a 3-2 nailbiter. The right-hander, acquired Monday from the Twins, walked a batter but then got two ground balls to end that rally.

The Nationals added a key insurance in the top of the eighth on Anthony Rendon's sacrifice fly, then Madson delivered his sixth consecutive scoreless inning of relief since joining the club three weeks ago.

Doolittle closed it out with a scoreless ninth, earning his fifth save in as many opportunities since joining the club in the same trade that brought Madson to D.C.

Murphy supplied the entirety of the Nationals offense through the first two-thirds of the game, launching a two-run homer to right in the top of the first, then launching a rare opposite-field homer to left to lead off the top of the sixth against Kyle Hendricks.

Thus did the Nationals second baseman continue his longstanding domination of this ballpark. In his career at Wrigley Field, including playoffs, Murphy is now batting .406 (39-for-96) with eight homers, 15 RBIs and a 1.170 OPS.

Though his last start (four runs in five innings vs. Colorado) was mediocre, in the bigger picture Roark had been on an upswing over the last month. And he continued that longer-term trend this afternoon, posting six consecutive zeros to begin his afternoon.

Roark was, however, putting men on base, six of them in those first six innings. And so his pitch count stood at 97 when he walked off the mound at the end of the sixth, the Nationals leading 3-0, his spot in the batting order due up second.

Baker thus faced his first big decision of the day. Would he let Roark continue and try to squeeze another inning out of his starter and potentially save up his bullpen some for the rest of the weekend, with Edwin Jackson and Erick Fedde slated to start? Or would he turn over the final three innings to his new trio of relievers?

The answer: Roark hit for himself in the top of the seventh, then took the mound for the bottom of the seventh. And very quickly got into trouble. Kyle Schwarber led off with a double to the gap in right-center. Then after Jason Heyward flied out to left, Báez launched a 2-1 pitch into the bleachers.

Baker emerged from the dugout and signaled for Kintzler, and suddenly this was a whole new ballgame, the Nationals now clinging to a one-run lead.

Thanks to a manufactured run and some lockdown work from the new back end of the bullpen, they still managed to emerge victorious.