Shota Imanaga pitched a stellar game, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 5-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday. Imanaga earned his sixth consecutive win, with strong support from home runs by Mike Tauchman, Michael Busch, and Miguel Amaya. Despite a rain delay at the start of the game, Imanaga pitched seven innings, allowing six hits, striking out four, and walking none.
The Cubs, who were already eliminated from playoff contention, took three of four games in the series against the Nationals. The Nationals struggled to score runs, as their road trip ended with a 1-6 record. Jake Irvin, the Nationals’ pitcher, allowed five runs in four innings, while James Wood and José Tena had two hits each.
Tauchman’s leadoff homer in the first inning set the tone for the Cubs, who added three more runs in the fourth inning with homers from Busch and Amaya. Despite a late scoring opportunity for the Nationals in the eighth inning, the Cubs defense held strong to secure the shutout victory.
LF Ian Happ was sidelined with lower back tightness for the Cubs, and his status is day-to-day. The Nationals will face the Kansas City Royals in their next series, while the Cubs will take on the Philadelphia Phillies with RHP Nate Pearson on the mound for Chicago in his first start of the season.
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