Washington, DC – Anthony Rizzo had three hits and two RBI to help the Chicago Cubs take an 8-2 win over the Washington Nationals in the second of a three-game set.
David DeJesus drove in two runs while Welington Castillo scored twice for the Cubs, who had lost six of eight coming into the game.
Edwin Jackson (1-5) benefited from the run support to get his first win of the year, giving up two runs on four hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. He also added a two-run double in the win.
"The difference in the whole ball game was Jackson," said Chicago manager Dale Sveum. "His hit got our scoring started, and he shut them down at the plate today. He had an outstanding game."
Ian Desmond went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI for the Nationals, who had a five-game winning streak stopped. Stephen Strasburg (1-5) dropped his fifth straight decision as he gave up four unearned runs on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in just five innings.
"It's all going to change and it's still early enough in the season for things to turn around," said Strasburg. "All I can do is my best and try to have as strong of control as I'm capable of out there."
Neither side got on the board through the first four innings, but the Cubs plated four runs in the fifth, all with two outs. After Luis Valbuena was nailed at third going for a triple, Castillo reached base on a bad throw by Ryan Zimmerman. After Darwin Barney walked, Jackson plated both runners with a double to center. A bases-loaded single from Rizzo scored two more for a 4-0 lead.
Desmond got the Nats on the board in the fifth with his sixth home of the season, a blast to left center, but the Cubs produced four more runs in the sixth.
WIth Zach Duke on the mound. Alfonso Soriano led off with a double, moved to third on a Nate Schierholtz single and scored on a wild pitch. Cody Ransom followed with a double to score one more run, and DeJesus hit a two-run single later in the inning for an 8-1 lead.
Desmond's RBI single to left in the bottom of the sixth made it an 8-2 game, but the Nationals had just one man reach base over the final three frames.
Game Notes
The Nationals placed outfielder Jayson Werth on the 15-day disabled list with a right hamstring strain on Saturday. The team recalled pitcher Eury Perez from Triple-A Syracuse to take Werth's roster spot ... The Nationals had won five straight against Chicago coming in ... Chicago batted 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
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