WASHINGTON — Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell had limited options in the ninth inning.
As the Washington Nationals mounted a comeback Friday night, putting up three runs in the process to trim their deficit to one, the Cubs’ two best high-leverage relievers were unavailable. Porter Hodge was still down after throwing 36 pitches, his most since mid June, over two innings Wednesday on the second day of a back-to-back while veteran Jorge López remained sidelined with a groin strain though should he be back this weekend.
It left Counsell piecing together the final three innings following left-hander Shota Imanaga’s outing in which he allowed three runs in six innings. Nate Pearson’s two shutout innings positioned them well entering the ninth with the Cubs holding a four-run lead. But Tyson Miller and Drew Smyly each recorded just one out en route to the Nationals plating three runs.
Counsell called on Keegan Thompson for the final out, and the right-hander delivered. With the tying and winning runs on base, Thompson struck out Dylan Crews to seal a 7-6 Cubs victory.
“Credit to Keegan for coming in a tough spot and making some great pitches,” Counsell said.
The Cubs (69-66) were able to make a seven-run second against Nationals starter Jake Irvin hold up for the win. They had six hits in the inning with Cody Bellinger’s two-run home run serving as the final blow. Over their last four games, the Cubs have put up 48 runs.
For as well as the Cubs have been playing lately, winning 10 of their last 13 games, they’ve gained only a half-game on the final National League wild-card spot because the Atlanta Braves have won 10 of 14 in that span. But all the Cubs can worry about is focusing on what they can control: continuing to rack up victories.
“It’s been really fun, like, really, really fun,” Bellinger said of the Cubs’ vibe lately. “Collectively as a whole (offense), it’s been loud, there’s been a lot of barrels so just trying to be a part of that.”
The Cubs have been doing what they need to on this trip by beating up on teams with losing records. In the process, the offense is putting up the type of numbers the organization expected to see more consistently since a strong April showing. It has given their pitchers more margin for error, which helped Imanaga after the Nationals took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and created a cushion for the Cubs to work with in the ninth without their two best relievers.
The Cubs’ success over the last month has centered on different players stepping up in different moments to shoulder the load and come through in a game’s biggest moment. Thompson’s turn arrived Friday at Nationals Park for his second save of the season. Counsell lauded how well Thompson has pitched against right-handed hitters this season. They haven’t had an answer for his fastball-offspeed combination.
In the showdown versus Crews, last year’s No. 2 pick, Thompson used his cutter and sweeper to set up his curveball for the put-away pitch. Thompson didn’t overthink the moment before entering the game, solely focused on warming up quickly for when Counsell signaled for him.
“And then you’re just almost like on a cruise control kind of thing,” Thompson said. “You go in and do what you’ve always done and try to make pitches. And it worked out.”
