Shota Imanaga stymies Nationals in Cubs' win

Shota Imanaga pitched seven scoreless innings and the Chicago Cubs hit three home runs in a 5-0 win over the visiting Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Mike Tauchman, Michael Busch and Miguel Amaya went deep for Chicago (80-76), which took three of four from Washington (69-87).

The start of the game was delayed two hours and 20 minutes by rain.

Imanaga (15-3) won his sixth consecutive start. He allowed six hits without walking a batter and struck out four in his 10th start this season of at least seven innings. The left-hander is third in the National League in wins and earned run average for a starter (2.91).

Jose Tena and James Wood had two hits each for the Nationals, who went 1-6 on their final road trip of the season.

Washington starter Jake Irvin (10-13) allowed five runs on four hits - three of them home runs - and four walks in four innings. He struck out three.

Tauchman gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead when he led off the bottom of the first with his seventh home run of the season, a shot to right. The Cubs added another run when Dansby Swanson walked, stole second and scored on Seiya Suzuki's single to right.

Wood was stranded at second after doubling to lead off the fourth. Busch made it 3-0 when he homered leading off the bottom half of the frame. Then with two outs, Pete Crow-Armstrong walked and Amaya homered to left to increase the lead to 5-0.

The Nationals got back-to-back singles with two outs in the fifth, but Imanaga got Dylan Crews to ground out.

Crews and Wood singled against reliever Ethan Roberts with one out in the eighth.

Pinch hitter Joey Gallo followed with a fly ball down the right-field line that was called fair on the field and resulted in a run-scoring ground-rule double. But Cubs manager Craig Counsell challenged the play and the call was overturned. Gallo then struck out.

--Field Level Media