WASHINGTON — As soon as Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner completed the tag on the Nationals’ Robert Hassell III, his right hand shot up. He popped up and pointed to left fielder Ian Happ, who slapped his glove in celebration.

Ian Happ had three hits including a home run to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 7-1 victory over the host Washington Nationals on Thursday.

MacKenzie Gore pitched seven innings of three-hit ball and Amed Rosario homered to break a scoreless tie in the seventh as the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0.

On June 5, 2025, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Washington Nationals 7-1 at Nationals Park, improving their record to 39-23 and solidifying their first-place standing in the National League Central. The Nationals,

A pair of baserunning mistakes, a short start from Jake Irvin and issues in the field conspire for a 7-1 loss in the rubber game of the three-game set.

The Cubs set up their roster for this stretch against teams robust with left-handed bats, signing Génesis Cabrera last week after the Mets designated him for assignment. He gave the Cubs a third left-handed option out of the bullpen, joining Caleb Thielbar and Drew Pomeranz, all of whom are throwing well.

Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd added to a great start to the season Wednesday, holding the Washington Nationals to two runs in 7 1/3 innings in a 2-0 loss.

Manager Dave Martinez called the 8-3 loss in the first matchup of a six-game homestand “weird.” Walks and poor defense also made it sloppy.