PITTSBURGH—Travis Wood hadn’t won a game in more than two months. The worst defensive game by the Pittsburgh Pirates in more than a quarter century gave the struggling Cubs pitcher all the help he needed.Wood gave up one hit over six innings, and the Cubs won 12-2 Friday night to stop a six-game losing streak.

“The pitches were working good and the defense was outstanding behind me,” Wood said.

The Pirates, not so much.Playing meaningful September baseball for the first time in 20 years, Pittsburgh hardly looked like a playoff team, committing seven errors and leaving typically chatty manager Clint Hurdle at a loss for words.

“Our worst game of the season,” said Hurdle, who was ejected in the sixth inning. “We stunk tonight. There’s always a sense of pride you take out on the field to play your best every night you go out there. Sometimes your best stinks. That’s where we were tonight.”

Wood (5-12) ended a streak of 10 straight winless starts by striking out five and walking three. He was aided by a spectacular catch from centerfielder Brett Jackson to end the sixth inning. Jackson crashed into the fence tracking down a deep flyball from Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen to cut short the Pirates’ only real rally attempt.Jackson laid on the ground for several minutes before walking off under his own power, though he was immediately replaced by Tony Campana. The Cubs led by seven runs at the time, but Jackson said he never considered just letting it go.

“It was a big moment in the game for Travis and for us as a team,” said Jackson, who suffered a bruised knee and is unlikely to play Saturday. “We’d lost six in a row. Seven runs didn’t seem like enough at the time. We were going to win that game today.”

Starlin Castro had three hits, including the 500th of his career, and drove in four runs for the Cubs. Alfonso Soriano added three hits and three RBI as Chicago took full advantage of one of the worst defensive nights in Pittsburgh’s 130-year history.The Pirates had not made seven errors in a game since 1985 and finished one shy of the club record set in 1939. It was the first seven-error game in the majors since Atlanta in a 2004 loss to Colorado.A.J. Burnett (15-6) struggled against one of baseball’s worst batting orders, though having his teammates give the Cubs extra out after extra out certainly didn’t help. Burnett allowed seven runs — three earned — and eight hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked one.Pittsburgh’s problems started early. The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first thanks in part to an error by Pittsburgh rookie second baseman Brock Holt.Things quickly got worse.The Cubs made it 4-0 in the third with plenty of assistance from left fielder Starling Marte.The rookie, activated from the disabled list earlier in the day, mishandled a single by Soriano with one on and two outs. The ball caromed off his glove away from him and in his haste to recover, Marte threw wildly in the vicinity of third base. The ball sailed all the way to the backstop, allowing Anthony Rizzo and Soriano to move into scoring position. Moments later Marte was in trouble again when he booted a sharply hit ball by Castro. Rizzo and Soriano scored easily and Castro — who advanced to second on the error — dashed home on Steve Clevenger’s single.

“It was nice to come in here against one of the better teams in the National League and put it on them pretty good,” Dale Sveum said. “That was good for us, especially from where we were just coming from and for the mental state of the guys in that clubhouse.”

Hurdle tried to give his team some life, getting thrown out for the fourth time this season for arguing a close play at third base in which umpire Gary Darling ruled Jackson beat Josh Harrison’s throw on a fielders’ choice.The Pirates responded by allowing three more runs thanks in part to throwing errors by first baseman Gaby Sanchez and catcher Rod Barajas. Two more errors in the seventh helped the Cubs push the lead to 12-0.At one point a fan in an exasperated PNC Park crowd started yelling “error! error!” at the official scorer on a cleanly hit single by Campana in the eighth.Instead of history, the Pirates finished with only seven errors, the most since an 8-4 loss to St. Louis on Sept. 16, 1985.

“It was just one of those games, words can’t even really describe it,” Harrison said. “I really don’t know what to say but put it behind us and come back tomorrow.”

Wood, who hadn’t won since beating the Mets on July 6, didn’t let the good fortune go to waste. He retired 14 of the first 15 batters he faced and didn’t give up a hit until the fifth when Pedro Alvarez’s flyball to center glanced off Jackson’s glove as the outfielder smacked into the wall.

NOTES—Castro became the 28th player in major league history to reach 500 hits before his 23rd birthday. The previous player to do it was Alex Rodriguez….    The series continues on Saturday. Jeff Samardzija (8-13, 3.91 ERA) will make his final start of the season for the Cubs against Pittsburgh’s James McDonald (12-7, 3.90).

Bryce Harper took exception to an inside pitch from the Cubs’ Lendy Castillo. (AP)

WASHINGTON—Nationals manager Davey Johnson figures the Cubs were ticked off because Jayson Werth swung at a 3-0 pitch in the fifth inning. Just to be clear, Johnson wasn’t apologizing. Adam LaRoche added to his home run tear with a two-run shot and Washington beat the Cubs 9-2 in a fight-filled game Thursday night to finish a lopsided four-game sweep.

“If they get mad at my guys in the fifth inning swinging 3-0 or running, they better get used to it,” Johnson said.

The trouble started with a testy exchange between Cubs bench coach Jamie Quirk and Nationals third base coach Bo Porter in the fifth. Quirk shouted from the dugout toward third base and Porter walked over to the railing, jawing and pointing his finger.

The benches and bullpens emptied, but there was no pushing or shoving. Quirk was ejected before play resumed.

“It was the bench coach’s frustration in us handing it to him for a couple days,” Johnson said. “If they want to quit competing and forfeit, then fine. But we’re going to keep competing.”

In the sixth, Cubs reliever Lendy Castillo threw his first pitch of the inning near Bryce Harper’s legs and the ball that sailed all the way to the backstop.

“Castillo’s a Rule 5 kid who’s thrown a lot of them pitches today,” Manager Dale Sveum said. “There was no intention to hit Bryce Harper or anything because of what happened.”

Harper made a move toward the mound and was quickly intercepted by catcher Steve Clevenger.Both teams spilled onto the field again, and this time things got a little nasty. Players pushed and shoved each other in the infield and Clevenger took an open-handed swipe at Washington shortstop Ian Desmond, who accidentally knocked down first base umpire Bill Miller while backing away.

“I’m just trying to check off everything on my list this whole year,” Harper said. “I’ve gotten thrown at, gotten hit, stole home.”

Clevenger, Cubs right-hander Manny Corpas and Nationals lefty Michael Gonzalez were ejected — though neither pitcher was in the game. Order was finally restored and Washington went on to its fifth straight victory and eighth in nine games.

“All that stuff that happened, that was instigated by Quirk screaming out at Porter,” plate umpire Jerry Layne said. “And the obscenities that he screamed out I just felt was inappropriate, and that’s what caused everything. The reason he was ejected was he was the cause.”

Porter declined to get into specifics. But he did have something to say about the dust-up.

“When I was younger, I did Gold Glove boxing,” he said. “My trainer would always tell me before the bell rang, `Just in case you didn’t know, when this bell rings, that guy over there, he’s going to hit back.”‘

The Nationals (85-52), who have the best record in the majors, remained 7½ games ahead of second-place Atlanta in the NL East. The Cubs (51-86) have lost 17 of their last 18 road games and six in a row overall. They were outscored 31-9 in the series.

“It’s probably one of the biggest butt-whippings I’ve ever gotten in my career, as a coach or player,” Sveum said. “I don’t remember getting manhandled that bad in any kind of series I’ve been a part of.”

Kurt Suzuki hit a three-run homer to help back Jordan Zimmermann (10-8), who struck out nine in seven innings. LaRoche hit his seventh home run in his last six games. Washington tied a franchise record in each of the previous two games with six home runs. Harper set the tone for the Nationals in the first inning Thursday, turning an apparent double into a triple and then sliding headfirst to score from third on a groundout.

“He might be the only guy that can do that,” Johnson said.

Zimmermann, who allowed two earned runs and five hits, joined Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg as Washington pitchers with double-digit wins. Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler each have nine. Harper also scored in the fourth inning, when he hit an infield single and came around from second on Ryan Zimmerman’s two-out single.Justin Germano (2-6) allowed seven hits and seven runs, six earned, in four innings — his shortest start of the season.Anthony Rizzo homered in the first on a 3-0 pitch to give the Cubs their first lead of the series. The Cubs added another run in the second on triples by Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney.

“I respect every one of those guys in the other clubhouse. But again, I think that sometimes they need to learn how to play the game a little better,” Miguel Gonzalez said. “There was nothing wrong with how we’re playing ball.”

NOTES—Strasburg (15-6, 2.94 ERA) is scheduled to make his final home start of the season Friday against Miami rookie Jacob Turner (0-2, 6.55). Johnson doesn’t expect Strasburg will change his approach. “He’s all in,” Johnson said. “Every time he goes out, he’s committed to being the best he can be. He probably puts that standard higher than I’d like him to.” ….Johnson said LHP Sean Burnett, who has been bothered by an inflamed nerve in his elbow, will play catch Saturday….Zimmerman extended his hitting streak to 11 games…..Travis Wood (4-11, 4.64) will pitch for the Cubs on Friday against Pittsburgh RHP A.J. Burnett (15-5, 3.63).

WASHINGTON—The Washington Nationals are closing in on their first postseason berth and they’re not easing up — even against one of baseball’s worst teams. For the second successive game, Washington tied a franchise record with six home runs Wednesday night in a 9-1 rout of the Cubs. Bryce Harper hit two home runs and Gio Gonzalez won his 18th game. Adam LaRoche kept up his tear at the plate with three hits for the Nationals, who have won four straight and own the best record in the majors at 84-52. They maintained a 7½-game lead on Atlanta in the NL East.

“Good teams take nothing for granted,” Washington manager Davey Johnson said. “Guys down at the bottom, sometimes they have more energy and more to prove than guys at the top. We’ve been down there enough. We know what it’s like, we’re not letting up.”

LaRoche has hit three of those 12 long balls, and his streak of reaching base in nine consecutive plate appearances was snapped by a seventh-inning strikeout. LaRoche also has four singles and two walks in the past two games.

“It’s just one of those stretches that nobody can explain. They don’t happen too often,” he said.

The 19-year-old Harper had his second multihomer game. Previously, only Mel Ott and Ken Griffey Jr. had accomplished that feat as teenagers.

“I don’t think anybody’s satisfied where we’re at right now,” Harper said. “We don’t want to let down to anybody. We don’t want to play at that level. We want to play at our level.”

Gonzalez (18-7), who shut out St. Louis on five hits in his last start, allowed only three singles in seven scoreless innings to tie Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey for most wins in the majors. Dickey beat the Cardinals 6-2 earlier in the day.Gonzalez struck out nine and walked none. He has yielded eight hits and no runs in his last 16 innings. He says being a 20-game winner isn’t on his mind.

‘We’re playing such great baseball, it’s selfish of me to think of myself,” Gonzalez said. “Individual stuff is nice, but all said and done it’s a team thing.”

Craig Stammen worked the final two innings and allowed a ninth-inning homer to Anthony Rizzo, his 11th. Gonzalez did not give up a hit until Darwin Barney led off the sixth with a single past third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.Starlin Castro singled off second baseman Danny Espinosa’s glove with two outs in the seventh and Welington Castro followed with a single to left. Gonzalez finished the inning by striking out Josh Vitters. Manager Dale Sveum, whose Cubs have lost five straight, was ejected in the fifth by plate umpire Larry Vanover for arguing balls and strikes.

“I just didn’t appreciate him eyeballing our dugout for absolutely no reason at all,” Sveum said. “I just don’t think that’s right when you’re looking in our dugout for no apparent reason at all. Nothing at all to warrant that at all.”

The Nationals scored in the first on LaRoche’s RBI single. Washington equaled a club mark by hitting three home runs in the third off Chris Volstad (2-10). Roger Bernadina led off the inning with his fourth of the season. Harper followed with his 16th.Zimmerman singled and LaRoche hit his 28th home run — his fourth in three games.Harper hit his 17th with one out in the sixth off Michael Bowden. Ian Desmond and Espinosa hit back-to-back home runs to start the seventh off Blake Parker.Volstad allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings. After breaking a 24-start winless streak that began July 17, 2011, he had won his previous two starts.

He was wary of pitching against Washington, which scored at least eight runs in three of four games last weekend against St. Louis.

“They put up runs all over the place against them, too. They’re a hot team. A good team and they’re hot. It’s a tough combo, but you’ve still got to go out there and make good pitches,” Volstad said.

NOTES—Harper’s 17 home runs are the third most by a teenager. Only Tony Conigliaro with 24 and Ott with 18 hit more….Vitters is in an 0-for-25 skid….The Cubs are 17-51 on the road….Washington LHP Sean Burnett will be out a few more days with a tender elbow, Johnson said…..Nationals OF Jayson Werth, who had four hits Tuesday but is 3 for 33 against Volstad, was given the night off…..Nationals RHP Jordan Zimmermann (9-8, 3.01 ERA) will face RHP Justin Germano (2-5, 6.30) on Thursday.

Alex Rios homered twice and drove in a career-high six runs to lead the White Sox to  a 6-2 over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.Rios hit a grand slam in the first inning and a two-run shot in the sixth to help extend the Sox lead in the AL Central to 1½ games over Detroit,pending the Tigers game Wednesday evening with Cleveland.The Twins erupted for 18 runs Tuesday night, but White Sox starter Jake Peavy (10-10) silenced Minnesota’s bats Wednesday, allowing one run on six hits to win for the first time since Aug. 1.Rios gave Peavy all the support he would need with his first-inning slam. Following Dewayne Wise’s leadoff single and walks to Kevin Youkilis and Adam Dunn, Rios ripped a 1-1 pitch from P.J. Walters (2-3) over the left-field bullpen for his second career grand slam.

Scott Diamond enjoyed plenty of run support from his teammates once again.Chris Parmelee homered to cap a 10-run fifth inning and Minnesota routed the White Sox 18-9 on Tuesday night.It was the second time the Twins reached double digits in an inning this year. They also had a 10-run outburst Aug. 6 against Cleveland during Diamond’s previous win.

“I can’t complain, that’s for sure,” Diamond said.

The Twins pecked away methodically with 17 hits — only three went for extra bases. Every starter had a hit by the fifth inning.

“Balls were flying all over the place, as they always do in this ballpark,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Fortunately, we were on the good side of it. That’s crazy. We’ve seen it here before.”

Parmalee drove in four runs while Ryan Doumit had three hits and three RBI. Doumit hit a solo homer in the seventh and scored three times.Minnesota’s Eduardo Escobar had two hits and three RBI against his former team.

“Everyone contributed up and down our lineup. That’s a beautiful thing,” Josh Willingham said.

Dewayne Wise pitched a scoreless ninth for the White Sox, who had a franchise-record 10 doubles — five in a four-run eighth.Diamond made his first start since Aug. 28. He served a six-game suspension for throwing near the head of Texas slugger Josh Hamilton on Aug. 23.Diamond (11-6) settled down after a rough first inning to hold the White Sox to four runs and seven hits over five innings. He struck out four and walked two.

“I’m just more excited to pitch again after the suspension and everything,” he said. “It was good to get back out there. It definitely felt like I had extra juice flowing.”

Minnesota fell behind after a three-run first, but responded with seven runs in the second and 10 in the fifth for its fourth win in 14 games against the Sox this season.Parmelee’s three-run shot extended the lead to 17-4. White Sox manager Robin Ventura emptied his bench in the bottom of the fifth, leaving only two starters in.

“It’s one of those games where they were putting it in play,” Ventura said. “They had good at-bats. It’s worse if you make an error and lose a game or play sloppy that way. This is just one of those, we’ll forget this one and play tomorrow.”

Dayan Viciedo’s two-out double capped a three-run first inning for Chicago. Alex Rios singled on a 1-2 pitch to drive in Adam Dunn a batter earlier, and Paul Konerko drove in the first run with an RBI groundout.Quintana (5-4) couldn’t hold the lead very long as the Twins broke loose for seven runs in the second.Coming off the shortest start of his young career, 3 2/3 innings at Baltimore, the 23-year-old lefty lasted just 1 1/3 innings as Minnesota pecked away with walks and singles.Dylan Axelrod allowed both inherited runners to score in relief of Quintana, who was charged with seven earned runs and five hits.Minnesota sent 12 batters to the plate. Nine reached base, but the Twins had no extra-base hits in the inning.Justin Morneau singled twice in the second. He walked and scored twice in the fifth.Escobar drove in a pair with a bases-loaded single in the second after being called up from the minors earlier in the day. He came to the Twins as a part of the July 28 trade that sent pitcher Francisco Liriano to Chicago.Axelrod was called up from Double-A Birmingham earlier in the day. He is expected to make some spot starts down the stretch to give White Sox starters an extra day of rest, but will primarily come on in long relief for the time being, according to Ventura.
Minnesota batted around again in a 10-run fifth, sending 14 hitters to the plate. Phil Humber took the brunt of that beating, allowing eight runs while recording just one out.
It was the second time the Twins reached double digits in an inning this year. They also had a 10-run outburst Aug. 6 against Cleveland.The Sox set season highs for runs allowed in an inning and a game.Wise was the first position player to pitch for the Sox since Dave Martinez on Aug. 4, 1995. He also got two outs without yielding a run against the White Sox with the New York Yankees on June 29.

NOTES—A.J. Pierzynski was given the night off with a lefty on the mound……The Twins called up RHP Luis Perdomo from Triple-A Rochester.
Twins general manager Terry Ryan said he hopes OF Denard Span (shoulder) can come off the disabled list when he’s eligible on Sept. 12. Span has been taking swings in the cage.RHP Matt Capps (rotator cuff) has been throwing on flat ground…..Jake Peavy (9-10, 3.28 ERA) will pitch the rubber game of the series Wednesday for Chicago against P.J. Walters (2-2, 5.40).

WASHINGTON—Washington’s talented rotation has overshadowed its lineup for most of the season.It turns out the NL East leaders can hit, too.Adam LaRoche hit two of Washington’s six homers, Ian Desmond had four RBIs and the Nationals beat the Cubs 11-5 on Tuesday night.

LaRoche and Jayson Werth had four hits apiece for the Nationals, who opened a season-high 7½-game advantage in the division. Second-place Atlanta lost to Colorado 6-0.Desmond, Jesus Flores, Tyler Moore and Ryan Zimmerman also went deep. The six home runs matched a team record, and every Nationals starter had at least one hit.

“We owe this to our pitchers for bailing us out,” LaRoche said.

“It goes back to getting a lot of guys going well. You see better pitches. Everybody gets better pitches to hit. There’s nobody to really pitch around because you get somebody dangerous on deck.”

Werth and Michael Morse missed substantial time this season because of injuries, and Desmond was out for 3½ weeks with an oblique strain. The Nationals have had all three together since Aug. 17.

“We’re in a pretty good place offensively,” manager Davey Johnson said. “I like the lineup we have. We haven’t had the lineup together very long.”

Nationals right-hander Edwin Jackson (9-9) allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked one.Washington has scored 19 runs in Jackson’s last two starts.

“There’s definitely nobody in the clubhouse that’s going to complain about run support,” Jackson said.

Desmond hit a two-run drive off Chris Rusin (0-2) in the first for his 20th homer. The All-Star shortstop added a two-run double in Washington’s three-run second.

Rusin, who was recalled from Double-A Tennessee before the game, was pulled after the first four batters reached in the second. He was charged with five runs and eight hits in the Cubs’ shortest start of the season.

“Without breaking balls you better keep it down and you better have movement and today he didn’t have either,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said.

“The cutter wasn’t doing a whole lot and you couldn’t get the ball to sink or keep it down. He threw a few good changeups, that was about it. It’s tough to get through a major league lineup, let alone that lineup, with a flat fastball.”

The Cubs used seven pitchers, five in the first five innings.

“Always a chance to make an impression. That’s what you want to do, but you can’t have outings like this,” Rusin said.

LaRoche had a solo shot and Moore belted a two-run drive off Rafael Dolis in the fourth. Zimmerman led off the sixth with his 18th homer off Miguel Socolovich and LaRoche connected for his 27th homer against Jeff Beliveau in the eighth.

“We know we’re capable of hitting the ball out of the ballpark,” Desmond said.

The Nationals are third in the NL with 151 home runs.

“The offense was fun to watch,” Johnson said.

Alfonso Soriano hit his 26th homer and a two-run triple for the Cubs, who have dropped four straight. Starlin Castro drove in two runs.The Cubs have eight losing streaks of at least four games this season.

NOTES—The Nationals also hit six home runs on May 20, 2011, in Baltimore. … RHP Jaye Chapman, who also was recalled from Double-A Tennessee on Tuesday, Socolovich and C Anthony Recker made their Cubs debuts. Chicago has used 29 pitchers and 52 players, both franchise records. … Washington activated RHP Chien-Ming Wang, who had been on the 15-day disabled list since July 1. The Nationals also recalled OF Corey Brown from Triple-A Syracuse. … Washington RHP Christian Garcia made his major league debut, retiring the only batter he faced in the sixth inning. … NASCAR driver Kurt Busch threw out a ceremonial first pitch. … Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez (17-7, 3.10 ERA) will face RHP Chris Volstad (2-9, 6.06 ERA) when the series resumes on Wednesday.

Hector Santiago was unexpectedly thrown back into the stopper role on Monday night. This time the converted closer was needed to help end a skid.He did.Santiago won in his first major league start and Gordon Beckham hit a two-run homer as the White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Monday night. After falling out of sole possession of first place in the AL Central on Sunday night following a 1-6 road trip and being swept by the Tigers, the White Sox won the first of a 10-game homestand. They moved a game up on Detroit, which lost to Cleveland 3-2.

“Hector did a great job. You ask him to start, a guy that’s gone from being a closer and being in the bullpen. He got sent down and stretched him out. This is a big one,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “You’re asking him to stop a losing streak and he pitched a great game.”

With the White Sox playing at night on Sunday, Santiago was sent back home ahead of the team flight.

“I got home last night and watched the entire game. I watched every inning. I knew what today meant and I knew today was a big game especially after the game was over and we lost,” said Santiago. “I knew I had to come out and be ready and give ourselves a chance to win.”

Many of the White Sox players watched the Tigers’ last out before going out to stretch while manager Robin Ventura practiced his putting in his office. The White Sox have won eight straight at home and 22 of their last 27 at U.S. Cellular Field. Jamey Carroll hit his first home run in three seasons for the Twins, who are 25 games below .500. Santiago (3-1) pitched five-plus innings and allowed one run on three hits. He struck out six and walked three. Santiago started the season as the White Sox closer and later moved to a middle reliever. The rookie was sent to Triple-A Charlotte to be stretched out as a starter.

“It’s been fun because you never know what you’re going to do,” said Santiago. “One day you’re closing, the next day you are in long relief, next day coming in against a lefty. Now I’m starting. It’s just fun, you never know what to expect. The other day I threw an inning, `You’re done, you are starting Monday.’ I was like, `OK,’ kind of shocking but … It’s kind of exciting because you never know what is going to happen.”

Santiago took Gavin Floyd’s turn in the rotation who is out with a sore right shoulder.Addison Reed pitched a scoreless ninth for his 25th save in 29 chances. The White Sox needed six relievers to secure the win.Home run leader Adam Dunn was 1 for 3 with a double after missing Chicago’s previous two games with an oblique strain.Twins starter Samuel Deduno (5-3) allowed two runs over six on six hits. He struck out three and walked three.A.J. Pierzynski led off with a single in the second inning, two outs later, Beckham hit an 0-2 pitch from Deduno over the left-field fence for his 13th of the season.

“I wanted to throw a changeup on the outside, instead it was inside,” said Deduno. “That was the mistake.”

Carroll hit his first home run since Aug. 9, 2009, with one out in the fifth inning to cut the White Sox lead to 2-1. The long ball for Carroll snapped a streak of 1,348 at-bats without a homer, which was the longest active streak in the majors.The home run was pulled down the left field line.

“I was just hoping it would stay fair. When I rounded first I saw the umpire give the signal,” said Carroll.

Ben Revere robbed Kevin Youkilis of extra bases in the fifth with a running catch on the left-center warning track.Santiago got help from reliever Nate Jones and Donnie Veal as they stranded Darin Mastroianni at third in the sixth inning.Youkilis doubled with one out in the seventh off Minnesota reliever Kyle Waldrop. Then with two outs Youkilis scored on Paul Konerko’s single to extend the lead to 3-1. Youkilis earlier snapped out of an 0-for-19 skid and was 2 for 3 on the night. Joe Mauer doubled in the eighth off reliever Matt Thornton and scored on Justin Morneau’s single to get Minnesota back within one run. Beckham gave the White Sox an insurance run with his third RBI of the game in the eighth. Alexei Ramirez hit a two-out single then stole second and scored on Beckham’s single.

NOTES—The White Sox held a pregame tribute for former reliever and assistant coach Kevin Hickey, who died on May 14. The White Sox dedicated the batting cage in his name…..Josh Willingham was back in the lineup as the designated hitter after missing a game with a sore hamstring. He was 0 for 4.

WASHINGTON—The first winning season in franchise history didn’t thrill Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson when he was reminded of it.

“I guess,” Johnson said and paused. “I wasn’t real concerned about it.”

The Nationals, who moved to Washington for the 2005 season, had never won more than 81 games. After their 2-1 win over the Cubs on Monday, they have their 82nd victory, a 6½-game lead over Atlanta in the NL East and the best record in the majors.

“We haven’t really done anything yet and we’re looking for bigger things,” Ryan Zimmerman said. “It not being a major story shows how far we’ve come.”

Ross Detwiler allowed four hits in seven shutout innings and Adam LaRoche hit a second-inning homer for Washington. Detwiler (9-6) struck out three and walked three, allowing only one runner to get past second base.

“Today he was real special. He mixed in some breaking balls. Even the ones that were bad were pretty good,” Johnson said.

Jeff Samardzija gave up a long home run to LaRoche to lead off the second. LaRoche’s 25th home run landed in the front row of the second deck. It’s the fourth time in his career LaRoche has hit 25 or more home runs. Zimmerman’s RBI double scored Bryce Harper in the eighth for the second run.Drew Storen pitched a perfect eighth. Tyler Clippard allowed two hits and a two-out RBI single to Welington Castillo in the ninth. Clippard threw the ball away for an error and allowed pinch-runner Tony Campana to reach second before striking out Josh Vitters for his 30th save in 33 opportunities. Samardzija (8-13) allowed seven hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out eight.

“You love playing against these kind of teams. When you’re a team in our situation, anytime you can play these first or second-place teams where they’re still playing for something, it means a lot, and they’re fun games,” Samardzija said.

The Cubs, whose loss on Sunday guaranteed a third straight losing season, have dropped three straight. The Cubs have a 12-23 record in one-run games.

“It’s amazing how you can be in so many games and never win them,” manager Dale Sveum said. “That’s a sign of a team that needs to get a long way before you start winning those games.”

The Nationals went 81-81 in their first season in D.C., lost a combined 205 games in 2008-09, and finished 80-81 in 2011.

“We’ve come a long way. You can’t start an organization from the ground up and expect that to happen real quickly,” Zimmerman said. “Now, we’re going to be set not just for this year, but for a lot of years to come. We have a long ways to go. It can get a lot better. You have to learn how to win and you have to learn how to do a lot of things right at this level to win.”

Their 82nd win puts them 30 games over .500.

Detwiler recited the team’s upcoming schedule, which includes three games against the second-place Braves in Atlanta Sept. 14-16.

“We know if we win the games there’s no way we’re out of it,” Detwiler said.

NOTES—Johnson, GM Mike Rizzo and pitching coach Steve McCatty met with RHP Stephen Strasburg to explain the reasons the team is ending his season after two more starts. “I’m not sure any of us understand, but it’s the right thing to do,” Johnson said…..Washington OF Michael Morse left the game in the fourth inning with a sore right thumb. “I knew their pitcher was going to pound him in. He didn’t want to come out,” Johnson said. Johnson expects him to play on Tuesday…..Nationals LHP Sean Burnett will probably miss a few days with a sore right elbow, Johnson said…..Washington purchased the contracts of RHP Christian Garcia and LHP Zach Duke from Triple-A Syracuse. RHP Henry Rodriguez was moved to the 60-day disabled list…..U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist Katie Ledecky threw out the first pitch…..Nationals RHP Edwin Jackson (8-9, 3.53) and LHP Chris Rusin (0-1, 1.80) are Tuesday’s pitchers. Rusin and three others, RHPs Jaye Chapman and Rafael Dolis and C Anthony Recker, will be added to the Sox roster on Tuesday.

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LES