Nationals starter Jake Irvin's troubling stretch continues in blowout loss to Cubs

Needing wins to keep pressure on the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, the Chicago Cubs got the perfect prescription for a win on Friday.

Dansby Swanson hit a three-run home run off Washington Nationals starter Jake Irvin, and Reese McGuire added a solo shot to key an 11-5 victory, moving the Cubs to 81-60 on the season and 11-2 against the Nationals since July 18, 2023.

Winning is a priority for the Cubs during this stretch of the schedule, where they are playing 28 consecutive games against teams currently at or below .500 on the season. So far, Chicago is 8-5, starting the day 5.5 games behind Milwaukee in the division but holding the top wild-card spot, 4.0 games ahead of the San Diego Padres.

Chicago Cubs took advantage of Washington Nationals starter Jake Irvin's rough stretch

Not only have the Cubs held the upper hand over the Nationals in recent meetings, but Irvin also came into Friday in the midst of a troubling run himself.

According to Stats Perform, Irvin entered Friday with a 0-5 mark with an 8.78 ERA and 42 hits allowed, including eight home runs, over his last six starts. During those starts, Irvin had not recorded more than three strikeouts in any of his last eight starts, the longest such streak by a Nationals pitcher since 2010, when Jason Marquis began the season with nine consecutive starts of three or fewer strikeouts.

Irvin matched Marquis on Friday, striking out just two Cubs in 3.1 innings where he labored for 79 pitches (with 45 going for strikes). He has also now given up 10 home runs in his last seven outings, including Swanson's first-inning blast that set the tone for Chicago.