Nationals 8, Brewers 5: Bullpen blows up as Washington rallies for seven runs in the 8th

WASHINGTON - It started with a bit of bad luck and ended in a flurry of bad pitches.

When all was said and done in the bottom of the eighth inning Wednesday night, the Washington Nationals had scored seven times to come from behind and deal the Milwaukee Brewers a discouraging 8-5 loss at Nationals Park.

It was the seventh defeat in nine games on this three-city trip and dropped the Brewers a half-game behind the Chicago Cubs and into second place in the NL Central. The Brewers had not trailed by more than a percentage point since May 26, when they were a half-game back.

Although manager Craig Counsell believed the first reliever he used, Jacob Barnes, deserved a better fate, it was yet another tough night for the Brewers bullpen, which absorbed its 26th loss of the season, most in the majors. Earlier in the day, reliever Anthony Swarzak was acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox but did not arrive in time for the game.

"Anthony's not a savior," Counsell said. "He's not going to come in and save the world. He'll certainly be in the mix down there. The guys we threw out there in the eighth inning have done a pretty nice job this year."

The Brewers appeared to be in good shape when starter Jimmy Nelson took the mound in the bottom of the eighth with a 2-1 lead and only four hits allowed. One was a home run by Daniel Murphy in the seventh, trimming what had been a 2-0 margin since the first inning.

Nelson was lifted by Counsell after issuing his only walk of the game to Matt Wieters. Nelson thought he was squeezed during that at-bat by young plate ump Chris Segal, whose strike zone left many hitters upset. 

"That's part of the game," said Nelson, who struck out 10 before exiting. "It's just a frustrating circumstance, one-run game and everything like that. That happens. We're all human. We all make mistakes. The whole game, I had been around the (strike) zone."

After Barnes took over, the Nationals tried a sacrifice bunt by pinch-hitter Adrian Sanchez but catcher Manny Piña pounced on it and got the out at second. That didn't matter after Brian Goodwin, who had struck out three times, chopped a double over first baseman Jesús Aguilar's head and Wilmer Difo followed with a ground-ball single through the right side to tie the game, 2-2.

"It was very frustrating," Barnes said. "You think you're executing pitches and you look back and balls are bouncing over people's heads and finding holes. Unfortunately, that's how the game goes. It was not one of the better days."

Counsell summoned rookie lefty Josh Hader to face the dangerous Bryce Harper, who struck out and then screamed at Segal over balls and strikes, getting ejected. Counsell then opted for right-hander Jared Hughes to face right-handed-hitting Ryan Zimmerman, and the inning blew up.

Hughes was ripped for four hits, including three doubles, as the Nationals poured across six more runs. The outburst negated a three-run ninth by the Brewers, including the first major-league homer by Lewis Brinson.

"We didn’t catch a break in that inning," Counsell said. "To me, Jacob Barnes gave up two ground balls. One’s a chopper over the first baseman’s head. Then, the flood gates kind of opened with Jared and they put a bunch of extra runs on the board.

"I thought we had it set up tonight the way we wanted. To me, the better matchup was Hughes against Zimmerman. It just didn’t work. Jared has done a fabulous job, especially in the last couple of months (0.95 ERA over his previous 21 outings). He’s the guy we wanted in there."

BOX SCORE:Nationals 8, Brewers 5

NOTES:Garza to DL with calf strain; Blazek to make spot start

RELATED:Brewers acquire Swarzak in trade with White Sox

MLB: Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, schedules

The Brewers hit some long home runs Tuesday night in their 8-0 victory but nothing like the one Domingo Santana crushed with one down in the first inning. Jumping on a 2-0 pitch from lefty Gio Gonzalez, Santana sent a 476-foot drive onto the concourse beyond the left-field stands, the longest at Nationals Park since 2015.

With two down, Travis Shaw punched an opposite-field double down the left-field line, stole third base uncontested and scored when Aguilar struck out but reached base on a wild pitch. From that point, the pitching duel was on as Gonzalez settled in and Nelson was in command until the ugly eighth.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

* To activate Swarzak for the series finale on Thursday, the Brewers sent outfielder Brett Phillips back to Colorado Springs after the game.

As for the acquisition of a veteran reliever during a rebuilding year in which the Brewers have jumped into playoff contention, Counsell said, “That’s how it’s supposed to work. You’re supposed to get good enough where you trade for these guys. I think it means we’re in the hunt for a playoff spot.

“Things can change. That’s what you want. It’s a good sign. We’re trying to make us better. At different times, with where you’re at, there are different ways to make the organization better. This isn’t a detour, this is the path you want to take.”

* RHP Chase Anderson, approaching the four-week mark on the DL with an oblique strain, threw lightly off the mound for the first time since being injured. Anderson is making progress and the hope is that he’ll be closer to six weeks out instead of eight.

STAT SHEET

* Harper’s two-out single in the first inning extended his hitting streak to 18 games, the longest of the Washington rightfielder’s career.

TAKEAWAY

The Brewers bullpen has allowed too many games to get away in the late innings this year, no matter what was expected from the group. This one was particularly ugly, especially in light of how well Nelson threw the ball. 

RECORD

This year: 54-49 (28-24 home; 26-25 away)

Last year: 47-56

NEXT GAME

Thursday: Brewers at Nationals, 11:05 a.m. Milwaukee RHP Michael Blazek (0-0, 0.00) vs. Washington RHP Max Scherzer (11-5, 2.26). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: 620-AM.