Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Aramis Ramirez drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Chicago Cubs edged Washington, 4-3, in the opener of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.
Slumping Aramis Ramirez Leads Cubs To Win With Walk-Off Walk
Brian Bruney (1-1) began the frame by giving up a base hit to Ryan Theriot, and after Jeff Baker fanned swinging, Derrek Lee walked and Marlon Byrd blooped a single to right.
Ramirez barely had time to take the bat off his shoulders before Bruney put four balls out of the strike zone to force in Theriot to end the game.
Carlos Marmol (1-0) picked up the win after hurling a scoreless top of the 10th.
Byrd finished 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Cubs, winners of four straight and five of six. Starter Carlos Silva worked seven innings, allowing seven hits and three runs while also driving in a run with a base on balls.
Josh Willingham collected two hits and an RBI for the Nationals, who have dropped three of five. Adam Kennedy and Wil Nieves also drove in a run each in defeat.
Starter John Lannan yielded five hits and three runs over his six-inning start, walking five with one strikeout.
Chicago picked up two runs in the second on a Ramirez RBI double, then later in the frame with the bases loaded, Lannan walked Silva to force in a run.
Byrd’s single drove in Baker, who tripled to start the third, for a 3-0 game, but the Nats came back with two in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to Willingham and a sacrifice fly from Kennedy.
Nieves pulled Washington even in the sixth with a two-out base hit to plate Willingham.
The Nats couldn't break the deadlock with two on in the eighth, and the Cubs failed to end the game despite Alfonso Soriano's leadoff walk in the ninth.
Chicago has won six of the last eight meetings with Washington since the start of last season...This was the first night game at Wrigley in 2010...The Cubs finished 13-14 in night games at home last season.
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