Williams Shines in Return, but Nationals Drop Game to Cubs

Chicago, IL- The Chicago Cubs defeated the Washington Nationals 3-1 at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. With this loss, the Nationals have dropped five consecutive games heading into the weekend.

The Washington Nationals' record now stands at 68-87, including a 32-47 road record. They are currently in a grueling stretch of 13 straight games and 19 games in 20 days to conclude the 2024 season, which began last Tuesday night in New York against the Mets.

Right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams returned from the 60-day injured list, starting the game for the Washington Nationals. Before his injury, Williams had compiled a 5-0 record with a 2.22 ERA in 11 starts.

In Thursday's game, Williams pitched 5.0 innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out seven. He threw 66 pitches, 46 of which were strikes, and faced 18 batters. The only run he allowed came in the bottom of the first inning when Dansby Swanson hit a solo home run.

The Nationals remained scoreless until the top of the eighth inning when James Wood hit his own solo home run. Wood finished the game 1-3, with the home run being his eighth of the season. Since July 27, Wood has led the National League and ranked third in Major League Baseball with a .397 on-base percentage.

Manager Davey Martinez praised Williams' performance in his post-game press conference, saying, "It was awesome to see him pitch the way he did. He threw the ball well. It almost looked like he didn't skip a beat, which was great."

Williams reflected on his performance, stating, "I wish I could've come back sooner and helped the team out in more ways...But I'm super thankful for the guys in the training room...that has helped me the last few months to get me to be in a spot where we were comfortable going back out there strong. Everything felt good. Take away one pitch from this outing, and it's a completely different ballgame. I'm just thankful that I can be out there and give this team a chance to win."

The Nationals will look to snap their losing streak in their next game on Friday afternoon. In his post-game press conference, James Wood acknowledged the team's focus on the remaining games, saying, "I know the offseason is close, but you can't really be focused on that when we've still got games on the table."