WASHINGTON — Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong sprinted toward left field to cut off Jose Tena’s line drive leading off the sixth inning Saturday. After scooping up the ball, he turned and rifled a throw to second baseman Nico Hoerner, who tagged Tena out.
Then CJ Abrams singled on a grounder to center. Abrams, who has 27 stolen bases and is in the 88th percentile for sprint speed, tried to steal second but was thrown out by catcher Christian Bethancourt.
‘‘Trying to get [starter Javier Assad] through that sixth inning, PCA made an incredible play,’’ manager Craig Counsell said. ‘‘Great throw, great tag by Nico. And then Bethancourt throwing the guy out was a big play, as well.
‘‘We ran the bases well to get us some runs. It was a different win than we’ve had in the last couple of days.’’
A four-run fifth inning gave the Cubs the lead, but their defense and pitching preserved it in a 5-3 victory against the Nationals. The Cubs won their fifth game in a row and will go for a three-game sweep Sunday.
Assad (7-4) delivered another solid start, allowing three runs and eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts in six innings.
‘‘It’s just this uncanny ability to make pitches in big moments,’’ Counsell said.
Assad has made the most starts (25) and pitched the most innings (126) in a season in his career, and he’s giving the Cubs just enough not to tax the bullpen. He said making it a priority to attack the strike zone has helped him of late.
With the offense performing up to the standard many expected entering the season, it eases the stress on the defense and pitching to be perfect.
‘‘It feels really good to know at any moment they can explode and the runs can just flow in,’’ Assad said through an interpreter.
Crow-Armstrong was spectacular patrolling center field. In the seventh inning, the rookie raced to catch a fly ball by Drew Millas that had an exit velocity of 97.8 mph and an expected batting average of .420, according to Baseball Savant.
The Cubs’ overall defense gives pitchers a certain confidence when they’re on the mound.
‘‘It just gives a lot of confidence, knowing that even if you [give up] a hit, they’re going to catch them stealing,’’ Assad said. ‘‘Or if I get somebody on base, I know they’re gonna be able to get someone out.’’
Crow-Armstrong’s speed (99th percentile, according to Baseball Savant) allows him to cover a lot of ground. He has seven outs above average, which is 13th in the majors among center fielders.
The Cubs (70-66) finished August 18-8 and entered Saturday with a 5.2% chance of earning a wild-card spot — an improvement from the 3.1% chance they had Aug. 1, according to FanGraphs. The offense rounding into form while the defense and pitching continue to produce is why they find themselves with the chance they do.
‘‘We’ve given ourselves a chance to play games in September that count and mean something,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘It took a really good month, and it’s going to take another great month. But I’m proud of the guys for putting together a great stretch of baseball and giving ourselves a chance.’’