Chicago Cubs lose game to Nationals, Bryant to injury

When it rains, it pours. The Chicago Cubs lost 8-4 to the Washington Nationals, but the biggest loss was that of Kris Bryant to a rolled ankle. Can it get better soon, please?

The Chicago Cubs didn’t get the start they were looking for from John Lackey. And they also lost Kris Bryant to a freak injury when he stepped on the third base bag after catching a pop fly. The Cubs tried to rally in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough as the Nationals grabbed the advantage in the four-game series with the 8-4 victory.

The Cubs (39-39) fell back to .500 with the loss, and are still muddling through as they try to find a way to win ballgames. John Lackey (5-9, 5.24) allowed three home runs, and all eight Nationals runs in his 5 1/3 innings of work. Home runs by Anthony Rendon and Matt Wieters set the tone for that Nats as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead.

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The Nationals (47-31) got a quality start out of Stephen Strasburg (9-2, 3.51) as he went seven innings, striking out 13 while allowing just two earned runs (three total). The Cubs looked like they might get to Strasburg in the fourth when Willson Contreras hit a two-run home run and Mark Zagunis reached on a fielding error by Ryan Zimmerman that allowed Albert Almora to score.

But that was the thrill of the Cubs rally as Lackey allowed runs in the fifth and sixth innings before being pulled for the night. Anthony Rizzo added a solo home run in the eighth inning to close out the scoring for the Cubs.

The Cubs will try and salvage a sweep tomorrow as Jon Lester (5-4, 3.83) faces off against Joe Ross (4-3, 5.40) in the series finale.