Keegan Thompson pitches Cubs past skidding Nationals

Keegan Thompson allowed one run over six solid innings as the Chicago Cubs handed the visiting Washington Nationals their sixth consecutive defeat with a 6-3 win on Monday night.

Rookies Nelson Velazquez and Christopher Morel homered in the third inning for the Cubs, who have won six of their past seven home games.

Velazquez recorded his first three-hit game while Morel and Willson Contreras each had two hits. Thompson (9-5) yielded just Luke Voit's homer and four other hits while striking out three without a walk to post his second win in three starts.

Rowan Wick pitched a scoreless ninth inning to register his fifth save.

Chicago recorded seven of its 11 hits off Anibal Sanchez (0-5), who allowed four runs and two walks while fanning three in five-plus innings for Washington. The Nationals have been outscored 51-20 during the current skid, the fifth time this season the team has lost at least six straight.

Joey Meneses clubbed a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth for the Nationals, who took their sixth consecutive road defeat.

The Cubs went 13 straight innings without scoring a run until the third, when Velazquez led off by taking Sanchez deep into the left field bleachers for a 1-0 lead. It was Velazquez's sixth long ball. After Sanchez walked Nick Madrigal, Morel made it 3-0 with an even longer home run to left, his 10th of the season.

Washington got on the board in the sixth through Voit's 15th homer, his second in five games since coming over from San Diego as part of the Juan Soto package.

The Cubs got that run back on Nico Hoerner's RBI single in the bottom of the frame. Contreras added an RBI single and Seiya Suzuki a sacrifice fly in the seventh for Chicago, which is 9-7 since the All-Star break.

Nelson Cruz had two hits for the Nationals, who have lost 11 of their past 18 regular-season games at Chicago.

The Cubs announced on Monday that injured outfielder Jason Heyward, who is sidelined due to a knee injury, won't be back with the team in 2023.