Willson Contreras 1st Catcher with Leadoff Homer in 1st Start from Leadoff Spot

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras hit atop the team's batting order for the first time in his career Monday evening against the Washington Nationals.

Contreras responded by hitting a 3-1 pitch from Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez over the fence to give the Cubs an early 1-0 lead in the game. The bomb marked the first time in the modern era (since 1900) that a catcher hit a leadoff home run in his first start as the leadoff hitter, per the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).

Chicago failed to score another run off of Gonzalez but added a tally in the top of the eighth inning and another three in the top of the ninth to fend off the Nationals and earn a 5-4 victory.

The Cubs have struggled to find consistent offense recently, scoring four or fewer runs in five of the team's seven games prior to Monday's tilt. Contreras assisted in the Cubs busting that trend Monday, going 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot.

After bursting onto the scene as a rookie with 12 home runs, two stolen bases, and a .282 batting average over 76 contests, Contreras' second campaign hasn't gone as smoothly. He's still on pace for a decent home run total—boasting eight through 67 games this season—but is hitting just .252 on the year and sports an on-base percentage of .318 compared to the .357 mark he owned last season.

Contreras' struggles mirror the Cubs' own issues this season as it's been tough for the club to piece together a solid stretch of games.

After winning it all in 2016, the franchise was considered among the favorites to win the World Series in 2017 as well. So far, the club has turned that hype into just a 39-37 record through 76 games and sits a game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot in the NL Central. Despite struggles both offensively and on the mound, the collective has shown some signs of life recently, winning six of their last nine games.

The Cubs took the first contest of a four-game series against Washington on Monday and will attempt to back that up with another victory Tuesday. Both clubs send their aces to the hill, with Jake Arrieta starting for the Cubs and Max Scherzer for the Nats.