MILWAUKEE (AP) — CJ Abrams hit a go-ahead, two run home run in the ninth inning for the Washington Nationals, who won consecutive games for the first time since July 4 with a 6-5 victory over the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
Left-hander Mitchell Parker couldn’t get out of the first inning, throwing 46 pitches and recording just two outs while putting the Nationals in a 5-0 hole. But Washington’s bullpen kept the Brewers’ offense at bay over the final eight innings, allowing only three hits while striking out 10 batters.
“That was an unbelievable win,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “The boys stayed in it and we battled back, I can’t say enough about what the bullpen did today. They were the saviors. To come back from a 5-0 deficit is never easy.”
The Nationals’ offense did it’s part, scoring three runs on five straight hits to open the fourth and send Milwaukee starter Dallas Keuchel to an early exit.
“Things just didn’t go my way on the ground today,” Keuchel said.
Luis Garcia made it a 5-4 game with a pinch-hit home run to lead off the sixth and then put the go-ahead and winning runs aboard with two out in the eighth.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy called on closer Trevor Megill (0-2) to snuff out the rally, which he did by striking out pinch-hitter Jesse Winker but wasn’t as lucky coming back out for the ninth.
Megill gave up a leadoff single to Garcia, who moved to second on Jacob Young’s sac bunt. That brought up Abrams, who sent a 1-0 four-seamer 416 feet to center for his 15th homer of the season.
“We went down early but we have fight in us,” said Abrams, who’ll represent Washington in the All-Star Game next week. “Our bullpen did a great job and we swung the bats.”
Derek Law (5-2) picked up the victory for Washington while Kyle Finnegan worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 25th save.
‘“You’ve got to tack on runs and keep playing hard,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “The bottom line is we played well enough to win but they played a little bit better when they needed to.”
Outfielder Christian Yelich got the day off Saturday, his first since May 15.
Yelich, the current National League batting leader, had started 52 straight games. He’d been spectacular during that stretch, slashing .316/.409/.477 with 6 home runs, 18 stolen bases and an .886 OPS – earning a starting spot on the NL All-Star team in the process – but got a break after going 0-for-6 with a pair of strikeouts in his last two.
“I think (he’s) been banged up a little bit,” Pat Murphy said. “He needed a day.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Nationals: After the game, Washington announced it had traded right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey to the Kansas City Royals for minor league infielder Cayden Wallace and the Royals’ 39th pick in Sunday’s MLB amateur draft.
Harvey, 29, had appeared in 43 games this season, posting a 4.20 ERA with 50 strikeouts over 45 innings, including a scoreless eighth Friday night in a 5-2 victory over Milwaukee. Wallace, 22, is currently on the injured list with an oblique strain but was the Royals’ No. 2 prospect after slashing .282/.350/.427 with 3 home runs, 16 RBIs and a .777 OPS at Double-A Northwest Arkansas this season. He was Kansas City’s second round pick in the 2022 MLB amateur draft.
The Nationals optioned right-hander Jordan Rutledge back to Triple-A Rochester and recalled right-hander Eduardo Salazar, who has a 0.84 ERA with 15 strikeouts and two walks in 10 ⅔ innings for Rochester after the Nationals claimed him off waivers from Seattle last month.
“I really want to give him a chance, especially in the next couple of days, see what he can do and get him in there,” Martinez said.
Brewers: RHP Devin Williams (back) began a minor-league rehab assignment Saturday with Class A-Wisconsin. The All-Star closer has yet to pitch for the Brewers this season after undergoing surgery to repair stress fractures in his back during Spring Training but is expected to make his debut before the end of the month.
UP NEXT
The teams wrap up their series and the first half Sunday. RHP Colin Rea (8-3, 3.81 ERA) will start for Milwaukee with LHP Jake Irvin (7-7, 3.13) scheduled to go for the Nationals.
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