Brewers 8, Nationals 0: Offense awakens with home runs to support Davies' pitching gem

WASHINGTON - After scuffling to score runs for most of the previous eight games, the Milwaukee Brewers returned to what they do best.

Bombs away.

Slugging three home runs that accounted for five of their eight runs, the Brewers looked more like their pre-slide selves Tuesday night in an 8-0 whipping of Washington at Nationals Park.

The victory – only their second in nine games – allowed the first-place Brewers to retain a half-game lead in the NL Central over the Chicago Cubs, who beat the White Sox earlier in the day. It was only the second time over that stretch that Milwaukee scored more than three runs.

"It's time to get going," said winning pitcher Zach Davies, who boosted his record to 12-4 with 7 2/3 shutout innings. "It's time for us to separate ourselves (from the pack) and get back to the way we were playing in the first half. 

"I think that's going to happen, especially making a statement against a good team like that. That is something to say we're here to stay. There's tough teams coming up on our schedule but we're going game to game, knowing each game is important. This is a good way to start."

Some bunting by Davies got things going early before the heavy artillery was summoned. The Brewers’ first run scored on a safety squeeze in the second inning by Davies, with Manny Piña sliding in ahead of the flip from pitcher Edwin Jackson.

Davies sacrificed again in the fourth, reaching on an error by first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. He also beat a flip to second base on a run-scoring infield hit by Ryan Braun, keeping alive the inning for Travis Shaw, who blasted a three-run homer to center two pitches after sending a drive just foul down the right-field line.

"The base-running play was the biggest play of the game," manager Craig Counsell said. "To beat that (flip), we get a run and keep the inning going. You don't see that very often from a pitcher. That's the play of the game, without a doubt."

It was the seventh three-run homer of the season for Shaw, who has been by far the most consistent hitter in the lineup. 

"That's a quick 21 RBI," Shaw said with a smile. "I can't ever remember hitting a home run foul, then a home run fair in the same at-bat. Usually, that doesn't happen. I'll take it."

"We had not played well at all since the all-star break. We need to start playing better. We hadn't played good at all offensively. We disappeared for about a week. We'll try to get more consistent."

BOX SCORE:Brewers 8, Nationals 0

NOTES: Brewers opted not to call up Brinson to replace Broxton

RELATED:Brewers to acquire Swarzak in trade with White Sox

ON THE FARM:Brewers weekly minor-league report

MLB: Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, schedules

The barrage got louder in the fifth. Leading off the inning, Eric Thames sent a towering drive off the facing of the third deck in right field for his 24th home run of the season. The next batter, Piña , ripped an opposite-field drive to right-center for his seventh homer and a 7-0 lead.

That was more than enough for Davies, who has been in the inexplicable spot in the rotation that has gotten the most runs this season. Building on a solid outing in Pittsburgh (no earned runs in seven innings), Davies worked into the eighth inning for the first time this season, recording two outs before departing.

"Everything was working; everything was in the (strike) zone," said Davies, who allowed only three hits while logging seven strikeouts. "Being able to expand on pitches and get ahead of guys, it was probably my best game of the year so far."

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

* RHP Brandon Woodruff was reinstated from the 10-day DL and optioned to Class AAA Colorado Springs, where he was pitching on rehab assignment. Woodruff strained a hamstring stretching before what would have been his major-league debut in St. Louis on June 13.

Woodruff had a rough outing (0.2 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) for the Sky Sox on Monday but still figures in the Brewers’ plans at some point this season if they need a starting pitcher.

“We want to get him in a rhythm of pitching again,” Counsell said. “He’s back healthy now. You want to get those guys in a good rhythm again. He basically took six weeks off. Let him get pitching again and he potentially could be an option at some point.”

* RHP Adrian Houser, who had Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery on July 21 last season while pitching for Class AAA Biloxi, was sent on minor-league rehab to the Brewers’ Arizona Rookie League club.

STAT SHEET

* Shaw, who already had a career high with 22 home runs, established a personal mark with 73 RBI. He drove in 71 runs last season with Boston.

* The Brewers are 7-8 with two games remaining in a stretch in which they play 14 of 17 games on the road. 

TAKEAWAY

After the offense went flat in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and the Brewers frittered away their 5 1/2-game lead in the NL Central, they needed something positive with the bats and got it. As usual, it involved hitting some home runs. 

RECORD

This year: 54-48 (28-24 home; 26-24 away)

Last year: 46-56

NEXT GAME

Wednesday: Brewers at Nationals, 6:05 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Jimmy Nelson (8-5, 3.43) vs. Washington LHP Gio Gonzalez (8-5, 2.83). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: 620-AM.