Cubs' pitching, defense stand out in win over Nationals

WASHINGTON — Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong sprinted toward left field to cut off Jose Tena’s line drive leading off the sixth inning. After scooping the ball, Crow-Armstrong turned and rifled a throw to Nico Hoerner, who tagged Tena out.

Then CJ Abrams singled on a grounder to center. Abrams, who has 27 stolen bases and is in the 88th percentile for sprint speed, tried to steal second but was thrown out by catcher Christian Bethancourt.

“The sixth inning and trying to get [starter Javier Assad] through that sixth inning, PCA made an incredible play,” manager Craig Counsell. “Great throw, great tag by Nico, and then Bethancourt throwing the guy out was a big play, as well.

“We ran the bases well to get us some runs. It was a different win than we’ve had in the last couple days here.”

A four-run fifth inning gave the Cubs the lead, but their defense and pitching preserved it in a 5-3 victory Saturday over the Nationals. The Cubs won their fifth in a row and will go for the sweep Sunday.

Assad (7-4) delivered another strong start, allowing three runs and eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts in six innings.

“It’s just this uncanny ability to make pitches in big moments,” Counsell said.

Assad has the most starts (25) and innings (126) in a season in his career, and he’s giving the Cubs just enough to not tax the bullpen. The right-hander said that he tries to keep the game close and that prioritizing attacking the strike zone has helped him of late.

With the offense performing up to the standard many expected entering the season, it eases the stress on the defense and pitching to be perfect.

“It feels really good knowing that at any moment they can explode and the runs can just flow in,” Assad said through an interpreter.

Crow-Armstrong was spectacular patrolling center field. In the seventh inning, the rookie raced to catch a flyout by Drew Millas that had an exit velocity of 97.8 mph and an expected batting average of .420, according to Baseball Savant.

The Cubs’ overall defense gives pitchers a certain confidence when they’re on the mound.

“It helps flow, for sure,” Assad said. “It just gives a lot of confidence knowing that even if you get a hit, they’re going to catch them stealing, or if I get somebody on base, I know they’re gonna be able to get someone out.”

Crow-Armstrong’s speed (99th percentile, according to Baseball Savant) allows him to cover a lot of ground. He has seven outs above average, which is 13th in the majors among center fielders.

The Cubs (70-66) finished August 18-8 and entered Saturday with a 5.2% chance of clinching a wild-card spot, which is an improvement from the 3.1% chance they had Aug. 1, according to FanGraphs. The offense rounding into form while the defense and pitching continue to produce is why the Cubs have found themselves with an outside chance of making the playoffs.

“We’ve given ourselves a chance to play games in September that count and mean something,” Counsell said. “It took a really good month and it’s going to take another great month, but I’m proud of the guys for putting together a great stretch of baseball and giving ourselves a chance here.”