CHICAGO (AP) -- Wilson Ramos hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth, Tanner Roark pitched five effective innings and the Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 on Monday.
Denard Span also homered for Washington, which has won eight of nine.
Making his first start of the season in place of the injured Doug Fister, Roark (1-2) allowed rookie Kris Bryant's sixth home run and struck out three. Four relievers combined for four innings of two-hit ball, with Drew Storen working the ninth for his NL-best 15th save in 16 attempts - closing out the five-hitter.
 
Roark, Ramos lead Nationals past Cubs 2-1
 
Cubs left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada allowed one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings in his second start since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Jason Grimm (1-1) relieved Wada and yielded Ramos' two-out drive to right.
Two of the game's top young stars - Washington right fielder Bryce Harper and Bryant, Chicago's rookie third baseman - faced each other for the first time in a major league game.
Bryant went deep in the first and also had an infield single. He reached in the ninth when a replay review showed he was hit by a pitch, but Storen retired the next three batters.
Harper went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. He also made a leaping catch at the wall on Anthony Rizzo's fly ball in the third.
Wada struck out six and walked two while throwing 83 pitches. He began the season on the disabled list with a groin injury.
Roark won 15 games last season, but was shifted to the bullpen when Washington signed free agent Max Scherzer.
The 22-year-old Harper and 23-year-old Bryant are from Las Vegas and faced each other in games as late as high school.
"We grew up playing against each other, playing with each other and now it's a bigger stage and obviously that's pretty cool to do, living out our dreams," Bryant said before the game. "It's something we always wanted to do."
Leading off the game, Span smashed a 2-2 pitch off Wrigley Field's new scoreboard in right. But Bryant connected in the bottom half, lining a 1-0 pitch into the first row of bleachers in left.
 

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