The Chicago Cubs got their championship defense off to a winning start Friday, defeating the Washington Nationals 3-0 at Nationals Park in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.Anthony Rizzo powered the Cubs offense, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Kris Bryant knocked in the only other run with Chicago's first hit of the game at the top of the sixth inning, driving in Javier Baez from second to break up what had been a classic pitchers' duel.Kyle Hendricks was cooly efficient for Chicago, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out six in seven shutout innings. Stephen Strasburg was his mostly brilliant opposite, carrying a no-hit bid into the sixth before ending up the losing pitcher with two runs allowed and 10 strikeouts in seven innings.Carl Edwards Jr. and Wade Davis supplemented Hendricks' display, with neither allowing a baserunner. Davis earned the save.In a 2017 postseason so far defined by offensive outbursts, runs came at a premium, and it took two of the biggest heroes from the Cubs' 2016 World Series run to get the victory.For the first half of the contest, a Nationals win felt all but inevitable because of their table-setter. Strasburg was dominant, mixing a heavy fastball, nifty changeup and a wipeout curveball that had batters' knees buckling on several occasions.Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan noted the Nationals starter was able to make a variety of pitches work on his first pass through the lineup:The 29-year-old righty didn't let up for another couple of innings, sending the home crowd into a frenzy as he racked up strikeout after strikeout. MASNsports.com's Mark Zuckerman pointed out Strasburg didn't have to pitch long to set a franchise postseason record:Hendricks wasn't as electric, but he was nevertheless just as effective. He mixed his pitches well and cooly dispatched the Nationals hitters, scattering his hits and walks over his frames.670 AM's Matt Spiegel appreciated the right-hander's calm demeanor and his ability to keep the Nationals off balance despite not having overpowering stuff:Hendricks' crafty pitching was plenty good to carry the game until his lineup could break through. Baez reached on an error by third baseman Anthony Rendon and then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hendricks. With Strasburg's aura of invincibility wavering, the dynamic duo of "Bryzzo" made their mark.Bryant drove in Baez with a single, reaching second on the throw, and then Rizzo sent him across home plate with a single of his own. Here's Bryant breaking through:The Cubs pointed out Bryant and Rizzo got justice after both struck out in each of their first two at-bats:The Cubs added another insurance run in the eighth inning thanks to Rizzo, who laced an opposite-field double to plate Jon Jay, who came in as a pinch-hitter.Bryce Harper and Michael Taylor were the only Nats to get hits in this contest (one apiece), and both came within the first two innings. The offense was nonexistent after that, per Passan:Friday's contest was demoralizing start to the NLDS for manager Dusty Baker's team, as the Nationals have won the NL East division title four times since 2012, including this season, but have yet to make it out of the first round of the playoffs.The series stays in Washington, D.C., for Game 2 on Saturday for a battle of left-handers. The Nationals will try to bounce back with Gio Gonzalez, who went 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA but tapered off at the end of the regular season. On June 26, Gonzalez pitched six innings of one-run ball in his only start against the champs this year.The Cubs will counter with Jon Lester, who is 13-8 this season with a 4.33 ERA but has a career 2.63 ERA in the postseason. In 12.2 innings pitched against the Nats this year, Lester has given up nine hits and four earned runs.
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