Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (6/3/25): Cubs 8, Nationals 3 – Busch Bashes Nats in W
The Cubs traveled to Washington to open up a series against the Nationals on Tuesday night. Chicago fell behind early before another crooked number in the middle of the game led to a victory.
The Nats took the lead in the bottom of the 1st against Cade Horton with an RBI single by Luis Garcia Jr. Michael Busch tripled off of Trevor Williams and scored the tying run on a Dansby Swanson sacrifice fly in the 2nd.
Washington scored on a groundout and sac fly to move ahead 3-1 in the 3rd inning. Pete Crow-Armstrong doubled to open up the 4th and then froze the Nationals third baseman with a bluff off of third base, allowing Carson Kelly to reach first base safely on a fielder’s choice to start a rally. Busch then singled home a run and Swanson had his second sac fly to even the score.
The North Siders broke the game open with four runs in the top of the 5th. Seiya Suzuki hit a sac fly and Busch drew a bases-loaded walk to give the road team a 5-3 advantage. Nico Hoerner had the big blow in the frame with a two-run single against reliever Cole Henry to make it 7-3.
Busch kept his big game going when he had a long solo home run off of Zach Brzykcy to increase the Cubs’ margin to 8-3 in the 7th. The bullpen was sharp all night and Chicago went on to win by the same score. (Box score)
Key Moment
The Nationals had runners on first and third with one out in the 6th inning and Caleb Thielbar got Josh Bell to ground into an inning-ending double play to third base to maintain a 7-3 lead.
Why the Cubs Won
The offense broke out again in the middle innings and the bullpen continues to do quietly excellent work.
Stats That Matter
- Horton had another solid performance and is getting comfortable: 5.1 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 3 K, 1 BB.
- A huge game for Busch, who ended up a double short of the cycle.
- PCA showed his speed off on Tuesday with a pair of stolen bases and two runs scored.
Bottom Line
The Cubs continue to produce dynamic offense away from Wrigley Field in 2025, and it will undoubtedly transfer home when the weather improves this summer. Horton will be an important contributor for the rest of the season, so it’s very nice to see him starting to gain confidence.
On Deck
Game two of the series is Wednesday night at 5:45pm CT. It’s a matchup of two lefties with Matthew Boyd and MacKenzie Gore taking the mound in a contest airing on Marquee with radio coverage on 670 The Score.
