Cade Horton threw four-hit ball into the seventh inning, Ian Happ broke the game open with a three-run homer in the sixth inning and the Chicago Cubs routed the Washington Nationals 10-2.

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Brady House, Joey Wiemer and Jacob Young homered for Washington on opening day, and the Nationals beat Alex Bregman and the Chicago Cubs 10-4 for manager Blake Butera's first win with the team.

The Washington Nationals battle the Chicago Cubs in the second of their three-game season-opening series on Saturday. Washington defeated Chicago 10-4 on Thursday afternoon. The Nationals (1-0), who finished fifth in the National League East in 2025 at 66-96,

Led by a young group of rising stars, including Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Chicago Cubs enter the 2026 MLB season as one of the teams to watch in the National League. MORE: MLB preseason power rankings How to Watch Chicago

Nico Hoerner and the Chicago Cubs have finalized their $141 million, six-year contract that establishes the Gold Glove second baseman as a franchise cornerstone going forward.

The Washington Nationals got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead on the Chicago Cubs in the second inning of Opening Day. The Cubs struck back in the third, taking a 2-1 lead on a single by Pete Crow-Armstrong that allowed Michael Busch to score.