CHICAGO — Milton Bradley homered and had three RBIS and the Chicago Cubs scored six runs in the eighth inning in a 9-4 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.
Bradley, who said after Tuesday night's game he had been dealing with hatred from booing fans during his disappointing first season with the Cubs, hit a two-run homer in the third and had a go-ahead groundout to break a 2-2 tie in the seventh.
Reliever Jason Bergmann (2-3) gave up singles to Koyie Hill and Ryan Theriot in the seventh. And with runners at the corners, Bradley hit a slow roller to third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, whose throw home was high and late.
Hill and Derrek Lee had two-run doubles and Mike Fontenot added an RBI double off Jorge Sosa in the eighth when the Cubs batted around.
Angel Guzman (3-3) got the win with an inning of relief after replacing starter Rich Harden, who allowed five hits and two runs in six innings.
New Cubs closer Carlos Marmol came in to pitch the top of the ninth and walked the first three batters before giving up Wil Nieves' RBI grounder and a run-scoring double to Willie Harris.
Livan Hernandez pitched a solid six innings in his return to the Nationals, giving up two runs and five hits, including Bradley's 11th homer.
Hernandez, who was 24-18 in 59 starts with the Nationals in 2005 and 2006, was released by the Mets last week following three shaky starts in which he yielded 26 hits and 18 earned runs in 14 1-3 innings. He was signed by the Nationals after their 15-6 win Tuesday night.
The Nationals tied it in the fifth on Cristian Guzman's two-out RBI single on a 3-2 pitch from Harden.
Harris led off the game with a single, and a hit batsman and a walk loaded the bases before Josh Willingham, who had six RBIs Tuesday night, delivered a sacrifice fly.
NOTES: Bradley raised his season RBI total to 35. ... Hernandez entered the game 10-6 in his career against the Cubs. While with Arizona, he beat them in clinching Game 3 of the 2007 NLDS. .... Harris started a second straight game in center field as Nyjer Morgan recovered from flu-like symptoms.