Nats lose home-and-away game and lose for fourth time in a row (updated)

CHICAGO — They got a rare, game-winning home run from Joey Gallo against a left-hander. They got plenty of offense from CJ Abrams and James Wood. Heck, they even got three hits from Darren Baker.

So how did the Nationals end up losing the Series opener tonight at Wrigley Field? Because Patrick Corbin endured another subpar start and the bullpen couldn't stop the bleeding afterward. Robert Garcia ended up being the leading pitcher in a 7-6 loss to the Cubs that also saw Jacob Young leave the team with an apparent shoulder injury.

A much-needed big night of blowouts from a team that struggled mightily against the Mets this week still wasn't enough for the Nats, who have now lost four games in a row entering their final road trip of the season.

Unlike their just-completed sweep at Citi Field, they showed more than enough offense to win tonight. But just like the last two nights, they allowed a ton of runs, now 17 in their last 24 innings.

“It was tough,” Gallo said. “I thought we fought well. We got the lead, they got the lead, we got the lead back. That's how it goes in baseball. It was a great game, but unfortunately we lost in the end.”

After going 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position in New York, the Nationals had to be pleased with their early offense tonight. They jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first, added two more in the third and delivered three game-winning hits in rapid succession.

Abrams set the tone, looking better than ever in his second game back from a shoulder injury. After three innings, he had already had a single, a double, two stolen bases and scored two runs.

“I had a good rhythm,” Abrams said. “I was on time with everything. And tonight I threw strikes. Now I have to keep going.”

The first RBI came on an Andrés Chaparro single to right. The second came on a 111.4 mph double to left by Wood. And when José Tena hit another RBI single two batters later to score Wood, the Nationals had a 3-1 lead and were ready for a much-needed big night at the plate.

They suffered a potentially serious injury in the second inning when Young was ejected while attempting to steal second base, injuring his left shoulder in the process. The rookie center fielder stalked off the field alongside a trainer, careful not to move his left arm too much.

“He said his shoulder had gone kind of numb,” manager Davey Martinez said. “I just said we're going to take him out and get him checked out. I haven't heard from the trainers yet to see how he's doing, but I wanted him checked out.”

With no other true outfielders on the roster, Martinez called on Gallo to take over right field while Dylan Crews moved to center. However, Gallo didn't take the field until after the rest of the team was ready in the second half of the inning. Did he have to run all the way to the visitors' clubhouse to get his outfielder's glove? Not quite.

“I was up here,” said Gallo, who was notably playing the first game of his long career at Wrigley. “There are no restrooms down there, so it took me a little while to get there. That's why there was a little delay there. You're always aware that anything can happen at any moment. But yeah, it was a little bit of a surprise.”

The Nationals were also without Luis García Jr., who sat out his second straight game with right wrist soreness. That gave Baker the opportunity to make his first career start, and the rookie second baseman took advantage with three hits, including an RBI double, to improve his record as a major leaguer to 5-for-8.

“It was really cool,” said Baker, who spent his formative years at Wrigley when his father, Dusty, coached the Cubs from 2003 to 2006. “I started Little League here at Wells Park, just down the street. That's kind of brought me full circle. Pretty cool.”

The Nats needed the offense because Corbin was back to his best after a string of good starts earlier this month. The left-hander scored five runs in just 4 1/3 innings, served up a two-run homer to Seiya Suzuki in the third inning and walked the first three batters in the fifth before Martinez came to the mound looking for the ball.

Corbin retired to the dugout with his head down, his ERA up to 5.58, and his Nationals career ending in a week with one final start against the Royals.

“I feel great physically,” said Corbin, who has made at least 31 starts in each of his five full seasons in Washington, plus every scheduled start during the shortened 2020 season. “It's kind of just looking back at the last six years here. It's kind of gone by pretty quickly. Maybe the last one in DC. We'll see. I'm excited to be able to pitch there one more time and hopefully finish on a good note and see what happens.”

The Nats trailed 5-3 in the sixth inning when Gallo came to bat with two on and two out. He got a ton of fastballs over the bat from Drew Smyly, stopping four of them. Then he finally got one on the inner third and pounced on it, sending the ball into right field for a game-winning three-run home run, only his second against a left-hander this season.

“You always feel more comfortable when you see more pitches,” he said. “I just tried to keep up with that at-bat. Obviously he's a tough left-hander. I was just able to keep fighting off the foul balls until I got one I could do something with.”

As with their early leads, this one didn't last long. Garcia came out of the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh inning and allowed three singles and a scoring groundout to third base to tie the game and take the lead, while Tena chose to throw to first base rather than attempt an admittedly more difficult throw to base.

“This game, he's got to come home,” Martinez said. “I looked back and thought he had one out. Plus, the (baserunner) was running in the grass. He's got to throw the ball there. You can't just give up the leadoff run like that.”

And that lead proved to be the deciding point, as the Nationals were unable to catch up over the final three innings, leaving two runners in scoring position in the ninth inning, marking their fourth consecutive loss.