Alex Bregman slammed three homers and drove in seven runs, both career highs, leading the visiting Chicago Cubs to a 12-6 win against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.
Dansby Swanson homered, doubled and scored three times in the No. 9 spot for the Cubs, who have won eight of their past nine games. Seiya Suzuki had two hits, two RBIs and two runs, and Pedro Ramirez added two hits and two runs.
Chicago left-hander David Peterson (7-7) allowed four runs (three earned) and nine hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked three. Javier Assad tossed four innings of two-run ball for his second save.
Abimelec Ortiz and Jose Tena homered, Daylen Lile had two hits and three RBIs and Harry Ford amassed two hits, an RBI and two runs for Washington, which lost the series opener 8-6 on Tuesday after sweeping the visiting Cincinnati Reds last weekend.
Jackson Kent made his major league debut for the Nationals and went four-plus innings, allowing three runs and three hits while striking out six and walking five.
The Nationals loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning and took a 1-0 lead on a slow roller to third by Lile that Ramirez failed to barehand.
The Cubs tied it 1-1 in the fifth inning on an RBI double by Pete Crow-Armstrong, who ended Kent’s day after striking out in his first two at-bats.
Jake Bird got Suzuki to line out to short with the infield in, but Bregman stepped up, and the three-time AL All Star homered into the bullpen in left-center for a 4-1 lead.
For the second time in the game, the second out of a double play at first was reversed on a challenge, and Ford soon followed with a two-out double down the third base line in the fifth to make it 4-2.
A walk and an infield single loaded the bases for Lile, and he dropped a two-run single into right-center field to tie it 4-4.
Tom Cosgrove (0-2) came out of the Washington bullpen with one out in the sixth, and Swanson slammed an RBI double against the wall in left-center for a 5-4 lead.
Suzuki delivered a two-out, two-run single off Yovanny Cruz to make it 7-4. Bregman then went deep on the next pitch for a 9-4 lead.
Ortiz pinch-hit in the sixth and blasted a solo home run to make it 9-5.
Swanson got the run back with a solo homer in the eighth. Bregman came up later in the inning and blasted his third home run of the game to make it 12-5.
Tena went deep in the ninth.
