MacKenzie Gore dominates for Nationals in shutout of Cubs

MacKenzie Gore pitched seven shutout innings, Ahmed Rosario homered and the Washington Nationals beat the visiting Chicago Cubs 2-0 on Wednesday night.

Gore outdueled Chicago's Matthew Boyd, who took a perfect game into the sixth inning.

Gore (3-5) allowed hits to the first batters he faced and none after that. The NL strikeout leader allowed three hits and a walk while striking out seven. It was his first win since April 19.

Nasim Nunez doubled, walked and knocked in a run for Washington.

Kyle Finnegan allowed a pair of singles in the ninth but retired pinch hitter Kyle Tucker to finish up his 17th save.

Boyd (5-3) went 7 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out six and walked one in his longest outing of the season for the Cubs, who had won three straight and seven of eight.

The Cubs loaded the bases with singles by Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly to start the game, but Gore struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson before getting Nico Hoerner to pop out.

Crow-Armstrong made a leaping catch near the wall in left center against Alex Call with two outs in the fifth to preserve the perfect game.

With one out in the sixth, Nunez walked on a 3-2 pitch. Nunez was then picked off and thrown out at second. Robert Haskell III then broke up the no-hitter with a line-drive single to right.

Rosario led off the seventh and went to the opposite field, hitting a line drive into the Washington bullpen to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead.

In the Chicago eighth, Suzuki walked with two outs, but Brad Lord retired Kelly.

Call singled leading off the Washington eighth. With one out, Nunez capped a 10-pitch at-bat with a double down the left-field line and Call came all the way around to make it 2-0, ending Boyd's night. Nunez stole third but Genesis Cabrera retired Hassell and CJ Abrams to end the inning.

--Field Level Media