Chicago Cubs Offense Did Something it Hadn't Done in 140 Years vs. Washington Nationals

The Chicago Cubs put on an offensive clinic vs. the Washington Nationals in a way we haven't seen the franchise do since the late 1800s.

The Chicago Cubs beat the Washington Nationals 8-3 on Wednesday.

The Cubs scored one run in the seventh and five runs in the eighth in the victory, continuing a trend of scoring late in the last few days. In fact, the Cubs made franchise history with how many runs they scored late in games vs. the Nationals.

Per ESPN Stats & Info:

The Cubs scored 20 runs in the 7th inning or later over the last 2 games, tied for their 2nd-most in a 2-game span in team history. 

Only larger one came in 1883 when they had 25.

The Cubs scored 20 runs in the 7th inning or later over the last 2 games, tied for their 2nd-most in a 2-game span in team history.

Only larger one came in 1883 when they had 25. pic.twitter.com/otWkH2hhHb

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 20, 2023

Yeah, if you've done something for the first time since the 1880s, you've had a great stretch. The Cubs' big blow on Wednesday was a grand slam from infielder Nico Hoerner.

They also got a 3-for-4 performance from Mike Tauchman and multi-hit games from Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki, and Miles Mastrobuoni.

With the win, the Cubs are creeping back toward .500. They are at 45-50 and in third place in the National League Central. They trail the second-place Reds by 5.0 games and the first-place Milwaukee Brewers by 7.5 games. 

The Cardinals — who were favored to win the division in the spring — and the Pirates bring up the rear of the division. The Cubs were longshots from the start, according to Fanduel, and are still at plus-1200 to win the NL Central. 

As for the wild card race, the Cubs are 7.0 games back of the final spot.

The Cubs will put their hot offense to the test on Thursday by taking on the St. Louis Cardinals in the start of a four-game series.

First pitch from Wrigley Field is scheduled for 8:05 as Marcus Stroman takes the mound for the home team. According to Fanduel, the Cubs are favored at minus-125, and the over/under is set at nine. 

Stroman is 10-6 on the season and beat Boston last week, allowing just one run in six innings.

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