WASHINGTON _ Power dominates, but Cubs style points Friday night proved more valuable in posting one of their most skillful victories of the past three postseasons.
Despite Steven Strasburg not allowing a hit for 5 2/3 innings, the Cubs' precision-like play produced a 3-0 victory Friday night over the Nationals in Game 1 of this best-of-five National League Division Series.
Kyle Hendricks relied on his mixture of changeups and curveballs that made his high-80 mph fastball appear faster and, in some cases, break the bats of the Nationals' most formidable sluggers.
And Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, who each looked helpless in striking out in their first two at-bats against Strasburg, came through at the right time.
Bryant collected the Cubs' first hit _ a single into right-center field on an 0-2 count with two outs in the sixth to score Javier Baez and snap a scoreless tie. Bryant cleverly moved up to second base and scored when Rizzo's line drive fell near the outstretched glove of a diving Bryce Harper in right field.
It was third baseman Anthony Rendon's error _ his first since July 22 _ that enabled Baez to reach first base safely to open the sixth and set up the clutch hits from Bryant and Rizzo.
It also soiled Strasburg's impressive performance as he struck out 10 and walked one in seven innings.
The Cubs, attempting to become the first major league team to repeat as World Series champions since the Yankees (1998-2000), played near-flawless defense behind Hendricks and reliever Carl Edwards Jr.
Hendricks, who finished the regular season with a 2.19 ERA in his final 13 regular season starts, lived up to his dependable reputation despite outside cries for veteran left-hander Jon Lester to start Game 1.
Lester, who allowed only one run in his final 11 innings of the regular season, will oppose left-hander Gio Gonzalez in Saturday's Game 2.
The Cubs improved to 3-4 all-time in the first game of the NLDS.
Hendricks, who earned the deciding Game 6 victory in the 2016 NL Championship Series over the Dodgers, never was in trouble after the second and frustrated the Nationals' hitters with his mixture of pitches.
Hendricks and Edwards held speedy leadoff batter Trea Turner hitless in four at-bats after Turner went 6-for-14 with seven stolen bases in a four-game series against the Cubs in June.
The Cubs added an insurance run as Jon Jay, who was 13-for-40 (.325) as a pinch-hitter during the regular season, batted for Hendricks and poked a double down the left-field line to start the eighth. Rizzo fouled off four two-strike pitches with two outs off reliever Ryan Madson before his double scored Jay.
Manager Joe Maddon employed a lineup that featured Ben Zobrist at the leadoff spot, slugger Kyle Schwarber in left field and Heyward in center.
The initial thought was that the Cubs would try to drive Strasburg's pitch count up early and force the Nationals to opt for a bullpen that lacked a long reliever.
But Zobrist showed no patience as he swung at the first pitch in each of his first two at-bats for outs.
Schwarber flied to deep left and struck out. Heyward, who started 12 games in center field during the regular season, caught Rendon's deep drive to end the third but flied out twice.
