Brewers deep-six Nats, 7-1
By: Brian McNally
Examiner Staff Writer
August 24, 2009
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| The Brewers' Jody Gerut follows through on his home run as Nats catcher Wil Nieves, left, looks on during the eighth on Monday evening at Nationals Park. The Brewers won 7-1. (Charles Dharapak/AP) |
Off the field, things took a rare turn for the positive last week for the Nationals. On the field? That’s still the same old story.
Top draft choice Stephen Strasburg has been signed. Acting general manager Mike Rizzo is now in charge full time. And while all of that was welcome news to Washington’s players, none of it immediately helps their current plight.
Instead – on the field, where it really counts – the Nats endured another lost homestand. Monday afternoon, Washington was drubbed by the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-1, and lost six of the seven games played at Nationals Park over the past week.
It wasn’t exactly the way to build on those recent good vibes. The Brewers (61-63) scored six times during an ugly sixth inning to take control. The first eight Milwaukee batters of the inning reached, including a two-run homer by Ryan Braun. Pinch-hitter Jody Gerut delivered a two-run single in that inning and later hit a solo homer to cap his club’s victory.
Washington starter Collin Balester (1-3, 6.82) took the loss after hitting the wall in the top of the sixth. He pitched to four batters in that frame and allowed Braun’s homer and then a follow up single and a walk. That was a bitter pill to swallow for Balester, who had struck out six batters and walked just two through five shutout innings. To that point, the Brewers had just two hits as well. Everything was going according to plan.
Instead, Braun homered after a leadoff double in the sixth and Nats relievers Jason Bergmann and Ron Villone allowed both inherited runners to score.
It was still a huge improvement on Balester’s last outing – a 1 1/3 inning disaster against the Colorado Rockies last Wednesday where he walked five batters and was lucky to give up just three runs during that brief stint.
Nats notes
» The Nationals have now lost nine of their last 12 and are 44-81 overall.
» Washington left 11 runners on base against Milwaukee, including the bases loaded in the third inning.
» Wil Nieves drove home the Nats’ lone run with a fielder’s choice single in the second inning. Ryan Zimmerman was 0-for-3 with two walks.
