David Dejesus was having a subpar year with the Cubs this season and still got through the trade deadline without leaving the Cubs. Well, yesterday Dejesus left and went across the field to the visitors clubhouse to join his new team. The Cubs have traded him to the Washington Nationals for a player to be named later. Dejesus was hitting .250 in 84 games with the Cubs this season. This is the second trade the Cubs made with the Nationals this season. They also traded Scott Hariston to the Nationals for a minor league pitcher. This was a smart trade for the Cubs. They shed some salary and got rid of a player who seems to be passed his prime. The Cubs have a three-game series with the Nationals and last night, the Cubs’ bats did all the talking by winning 11-1 behind the power of Nate Schierholtz. Schierholtz had three hits last night with six RBIs and two of those hits were towering homers. This increases his season home run total to 18 homers, tying him for the team lead. Dioner Navarro also clubbed a three-run blast in the fifth inning. Donnie Murphy also had a multi-home run game and Junior Lake had two doubles. Keep in mind, all of this happened without Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo did not play last night due to an illness. Not every Cubs player got a hit though. Starlin Castro went 0 for 4 yesterday and continued his season-long struggles at the plate. Cody Ransom and Darnell McDonald also went hittless in four at-bats. Jeff Samardizija pitched a gem last night, going the distance and giving up only one earned run. Jordan Zimmermann, on the other hand, had a game that he would probably want to forget about. In only five innings, Zimmermann surrendered eight earned runs and gave up three home runs. Entering the game, Zimmermann was a candidate for the NL Cy Young Award. This start has hurt his campaign to receive the award. His ERA is now 3.37 and his record dropped to 14-7. He could still have a productive year, but the Cy Young Award seems a little far-fetched now. The Cubs hit .667 with runners in scoring position last night. That is one of the Cubs weaknesses, but last night, it looked like a strength for the Cubs. This was the best game for the Cubs as a team this season. This game showcased some outstanding pitching, lights-out defense, and spectacular hitting performances. Hopefully the Cubs can rebound and avoid the 100-loss plateau this season.
