WASHINGTON — Cubs manager David Ross strode toward right-hander Marcus Stroman on the mound and clapped once. After just shy of five innings — with a couple of odd bumps in the road — Stroman’s night was over.
‘‘I thought he was throwing the ball really well,’’ Ross said after the Cubs’ 5-4 loss Monday to the Nationals. ‘‘We didn’t play good defense there that last inning, and I probably took him out one batter too soon.’’
