WASHINGTON - Jason Hammel picked up another victory for the Chicago Cubs, and that part of his Friday afternoon was very satisfying. It was the length of his outing that frustrated the right-hander. Hammel pitched six-plus innings and Justin Ruggiano homered for the second straight game, leading the Cubs to a 7-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. Chicago was leading 4-1 when Hammel was pulled after Anthony Rendon hit his 92nd pitch for a leadoff double. "I would have liked to have stayed out there in the seventh," Hammel said. "I have no idea why I came out of the game. I honestly believe you learn how to pitch when you get to 100 pitches. If youre not allowed to reach that I think thats hurting you more than helping." Hammel has gone over 100 pitches in eight of his 17 starts, including his previous two outings. "All I can say is its frustrating, especially when you feel good," he said. "Quite honestly theres no reason for me to go back out there if Im just going to give up the runner and then (get) pulled." Manager Rick Renteria said of the move: "Go ahead and make a change there and not let him get into a situation." Neil Ramirez then struck out Ian Desmond before Wilson Ramos singled home Rendon to make it 4-2. Ramirez retired the next two batters to limit the damage. The Cubs broke it open in the ninth when Ruggiano singled in Darwin Barney and Starlin Castro added a two-run single. Ruggiano connected for a solo shot against Tanner Roark (7-6) in the third inning. He has seven RBIs in his last two games and is batting .444 (12 for 27) in his last seven games overall. "Hitters go through this every now and then," he said. "You get hot, seeing the ball well. Ive been doing some things mechanically to stay on top of what I want to do at the plate. Its good though, I dont want to lose it." Chris Coghlan had two hits and scored three times as the Cubs collected 14 hits in their fourth consecutive victory. Hammel was charged with two runs in his second consecutive victory against Washington. The 6-foot-6 right-hander allowed two runs in 6 1-3 innings in a 7-2 victory over Roark and the Nationals on June 27 in his previous start. Hammel, who also had an RBI single in his latest victory, improved to 8-0 with a 3.11 ERA in 10 career starts against Washington. The first two Nationals reached in the fifth, but Hammel recovered from a 3-0 count to fan Roark attempting to bunt. "That was huge," he said. "I couldnt find the strike zone. I was overthrowing." Denard Span then grounded into a fielders choice and Bryce Harper struck out. Jayson Werth homered in his second straight game and added a double for the Nationals, who had won five in a row. Roark was charged with four runs and nine hits in seven innings in his second straight loss after a personal four-game winning streak. "They did what they did last time — base-hit me," he said. "Got beat." NOTES: Werth is 6 for 10 with two homers, three doubles and six RBIs in his last three games. ... Chicagos Nate Schierholtz, running from first on a pitch in the fourth, took a step past second base on John Bakers fly out to centre. When he didnt retouch second on his way back to first, the Nationals appealed and Schierholtz was called out. . The last time starters with identical records and ERAs with at least 15 starts squared off was August 15, 1974, when Jim Kaat of the White Sox opposed Baltimores Mike Cuellar. Both pitchers then were 13-9 with a 3.54 ERA. Tomas Nosek Jersey . Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse will reunite at this weekends season-opening World Cup at Canada Olympic Park as they begin their buildup to the Winter Games in Sochi. Ryan Reaves Jersey . Louis Cardinals have agreed to a one-year contract. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authentic-griffin-reinhart-golden-knights-jersey/ .The Toronto Raptors guard, who will represent the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game in New Orleans on Sunday, says he doesnt complain in the face of adversity "because I know this little girl is just happy for anything. William Karlsson Jersey . Murakami gracefully executed a double triple toe jump and a triple flip jump that put her at the top of a tightly contested race with 64.73 points, just ahead of Li Zijun of China on 62. Colin Miller Jersey . Next up, the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns in the AFC North. Baltimore Ravens In 2014, the 8-8 season that the Baltimore Ravens experienced was to be expected. Terrence Ross of the Toronto Raptors is doing a Reddit AMA on reddit.com right now on behalf of Sprite Canada and BarDown. For those not familiar with Reddit or AMAs, its an acronym for "Ask Me Anything" and its a great way for an athlete or a celebrity to talk to his or her fans directly and in a community setting. Get in on the action here, or keep reading for a few select highlights. 3:26 from BJ_Dangle What was going through your mind when you were about to destroy Kenneth Faried? I didnt think it would look as good as it did. I kinda thought I dunked to the side of him but it happened so fast. I didnt know how good it looked until I saw the photo. From my teammates perspective it was pretty cool too. 3:20pm from macaroniandgainz How did it feel to score 51 points in only your second year in the NBA? The 51-pt game felt like a pickup game. It felt like we were just playing for fun with a bunch of pros and we were going bucket for bucket.dddddddddddd. It was the kind of game that people dont usually get to see, but this time it happened during the season. ...I thought the franchise high was 56 so I didnt think I could get there. If I knew it was 51, maybe I wouldve pushed for it. 3:52 from blakerose Would you like to see the Raps logo go to a throwback purple style? A black and gold Drake style? Or something else altogether? I wanna go back to the purple on the front and the black on the back. I like the two tone jerseys. 4:01 from BulbyBlast Hey Terrence, do you think they should retire Vince Carters jersey in Toronto? Honestly, YES! They should retire his jersey simply because he put Toronto on the map. He did a lot for this city and this franchise, so STOP BOOING HIM! For more highlights, click here. 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