 struck out 11, one shy of his career high, in seven innings. Hector Rondon pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save in as many chances. Max Scherzer (3-2) was tagged for seven runs and seven hits in five innings. Anthony Rendon and Wilson Ramos homered for Washington. Lackey became the fifth active pitcher with 2,000 strikeouts when he fanned Jayson Werth in the fourth, joining CC Sabathia, Bartolo Colon, Felix Hernandez and Jake Peavy and earning a standing ovation from the Wrigley Field crowd of 39,206. Scherzer hadn't given up seven runs in a game since joining the Nationals last year. He surrendered 10 in 2014 when he pitched for Detroit against Kansas City. Scherzer hit an RBI single in the second to give Washington a 2-0 lead. La Stella tied it with a two-run shot in the second. Rizzo and Zobrist hit back-to-back homers in the fourth for a 4-2 lead. Rizzo's 10th homer up toward a flag atop the foul pole in right field was reviewed and upheld. Zobrist connected again for his fifth homer, a three-run shot with two outs in the fifth that made it 7-2. TRAINER'S ROOMNationals: CF/leadoff hitter Ben Revere was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list and went 0 for 5. He had been sidelined since the season opener because of a strained right oblique. To make room, OF Matt den Dekker was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Cubs: C Miguel Montero (lower back tightness), would rather not go on a rehab assignment when he returns from the 15-day disabled list.'' I've only lost eight games, so it's not really that much, but it's not up to me,'' said Montero, sidelined since April 24. ''If they ask me, I don't think I really need a rehab, but like I say, it's not my decision.'' UP NEXTCubs RHP Jason Hammel (4-0, 1.24 ERA) will face Nationals LHP Gio Gonzales (2-1, 1.15) in a matchup of two of the NL's top four pitchers in ERA entering the weekend. In 11 career starts against the Nationals, Hammel is 9-0 with a 3.01 ERA. No other active pitcher has as many wins without a loss against one opponent.
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Time: 02:20 P.M. EST Venue: Wrigley Field
Ben Zobrist never hit .300 in his career and hadn't shown much power in years, but the analytics-driven Chicago Cubs pursued him in free agency because of his knack for manufacturing ways to get on base. He's been clearing them lately. Zobrist, though, hasn't had much success against Max Scherzer, who takes the mound for the Washington Nationals on Friday looking to help prevent the Cubs from winning a fifth straight game. Joe Maddon began his first full-time managerial job with Tampa Bay in 2006, the same year Zobrist broke into the big leagues with the Rays. He reunited with Maddon in the offseason when the Illinois native inked a four-year, $56 million deal to join the Cubs (21-6). Zobrist is hitting .261 but owns a .377 on-base percentage. He hit a two-run single in the fourth inning and a two-run homer in the eighth of Thursday's 5-2 win over Washington (19-9), one day after hitting a three-run shot at Pittsburgh.'' This is a really good team, and we play good baseball,'' Zobrist said. "(Thursday) was another good example of that.'' Zobrist's contributions have helped the Cubs get off to their best start since they were 23-4 in 1907, but he's gone 3 for 20 against Scherzer (3-1, 3.55 ERA), who is coming off his best outing of the season. Scherzer struck out nine and allowed four hits in seven scoreless innings of a 6-1 win at St. Louis on Sunday and didn't walk anyone for the first time in his six outings.'' That's the best I've seen Max this year,'' manager Dusty Baker said. ''Sharp with the breaking ball, good velocity. It was Max's day." It was the right-hander's day the last time he faced the Cubs, too. He fanned 13 in seven innings of a 3-0 win May 27, dropping his ERA to 1.42 in three starts against Chicago - all at Wrigley Field. The Nationals hope they can provide Scherzer with some offense after mustering three hits Thursday, with Jayson Werth's two-run homer with two outs in the ninth providing their runs. They totaled 19 runs and 28 hits over their previous two.'' We just didn't square too many balls up,'' Werth said. '' ... We were right there. But it's a long series, a four-game series. We just chalk this one up and we got to come back out and get them tomorrow.'' Werth is 7 for 14 with a homer and four doubles off John Lackey (3-1, 4.32), who gets the ball for Chicago. Lackey had his longest outing as a Cub on Sunday, giving up three runs and three hits in eight innings of a 4-3 loss in 10 to Atlanta.'' I felt great, threw the ball pretty well, was locating pretty much everything,'' Lackey said. The right-hander struggled with his command in his last start against the Nationals, though, walking four in six innings Aug. 31. He didn't let that hurt him, giving up one earned run and striking out eight. Jason Heyward hopes to be back in the Chicago lineup after not starting the previous three because of a right wrist issue. He entered Thursday after Dexter Fowler was ejected.
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