Gonzalez proud of his and his team's fight in 5-4 loss to Cubs

Despite a 5-4 loss to the Cubs, left-hander Gio Gonzalez put together another tremendous start.

The Cubs enjoyed a leadoff homer by Willson Contreras and then nothing else against Gonzalez. He ended up allowing only one run on two hits over six innings with five walks (one intentional) and struck out eight.

But in the end, with the Cubs turning a 1-0 lead into 5-0 before the Nationals made it 5-4 and had the winning run on second base, all Gonzalez could think about was the homer to Contreras that started it all.

"Right now, I'm just focusing on that one mistake pitch and turn the page from there," Gonzalez said. "But today I have to worry about what I could've done better to keep myself strong in the game. That's exactly it. 3-1 pitch, if I could take it back. He did his job and I made a mistake on my pitch. As far as that, that was really the dagger in the heart."

Even with this loss, Gonzalez is still 7-2 and still has a shot at a potential All-Star citation in his hometown of Miami on July 11. He will have one more start at St. Louis to show what a start to the season it has been. His manager Dusty Baker would give him a vote.

"His outing was good. He threw a lot of pitches, but you know other than that first pitch home run, I mean not the first pitch, the first batter on the mound and he threw the ball well against some very tough hitters over there and he gave us a great chance to win," Baker said. "You know their starter, we hit some balls and we flirted with defense all night long in the first few innings we hit some balls hard, but you can't guide 'em. All you can do is just hit 'em."

Gonzalez had time to watch the ninth inning rally and he came away with a good feeling about the 2017 Nationals compared to even the 2016 playoff team. He said the fans also got a thrilling ending where the Nats came up one base hit short of a dramatic comeback.

"We scored runs. We were kicking ass in the ninth inning," Gonzalez said. "We were giving them something to bite their nails away. It was not something we were going quietly. We were fighting all the way to the end and showed we're a stronger way of thinking from last year to this year. It's a different Nationals game, Nationals team. We definitely gave fans their money's worth. If you came to the game, you earned that ticket."

Gonzalez said the comeback attempt forced the Cubs to have to use pretty much their entire bullpen. Their closer, Wade Davis, allowed two runs on three hits in 2/3 of an inning with a walk and two strikeouts. That could help the Nats in this long four-game set.

"Absolutely. They had their guy work," Gonzalez pointed out. "Their closer had to work. He's not going home thinking, 'I had to walk through these guys.' If he pitches tomorrow, tip your cap. That's a trooper. But definitely racked up some pitches on it. That's the best that we can do. Fight them all the way to the end. They have a solid bullpen. Not one of those guys are throwing under 97 mph. The fact that we put up four in the ninth like that, that's a big step up for us."

Gonzalez's teammate Ryan Zimmerman who battled but struck out for the game's final play, has been impressed with the season the left-hander has put together.

"It's been fun to watch," Zimmerman said. "The way he's come back, the way he's pitching to contact, coming after people. Tonight no different than what he's done all year. He puts a lot of pressure on the guys, throws a lot of strikes. And when that curveball's working, he's tough to face."