Ben Gamel had three hits and scored twice and Orlando Arcia added three hits with a run scored as the host Milwaukee Brewers beat the sleep-deprived and defensive-challenged Washington Nationals 5-3 on Monday.
The Nationals sat on the airport tarmac for nearly eight hours in Philadelphia after their game Sunday against the Phillies. The team returned to its hotel for a few hours, left Philadelphia about 10 a.m. ET and arrived in Wisconsin about seven hours before the first pitch.
Then in the game, the Nationals lost catcher Yan Gomes and left fielder Andrew Stevenson to injuries. On top of that, Washington had just five hits and committed four errors.
The Brewers took advantage as they scored two runs in the seventh off the Washington bullpen after Max Scherzer, who did not figure in the decision, threw a season-high 112 pitches. He gave up two runs (one earned) and six hits in six innings with 10 strikeouts and one walk.
Yasmani Grandal had an RBI single off loser Dan Jennings (0-2) to tie the game at 3-3 and the inning continued when Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki couldn't come up with a squibbler in front of the plate off the bat of Mike Moustakas and was charged with an error. Later in the inning a Jesus Aguilar sacrifice fly gave the Brewers a 4-3 lead.
Milwaukee made it 5-3 in the eighth with an RBI single by Gamel.
The Nationals took a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh on Adam Eaton's solo homer.
Even after the long night, Eaton led off the first with a single and later scored on a two-run homer by Howie Kendrick, his fifth, off starter Brewers Jhoulys Chacin, who gave up two runs and three hits in five frames.
In the last of the first Gamel doubled and scored on a single by Moustakas to trim the margin to 2-1.
Milwaukee tied the game at 2-2 in the second as Aguilar scored when Gamel reached on an error by rookie shortstop Carter Kieboom.
The winning pitcher was Alex Claudio (1-1), who gave up one run on one hit -- the Eaton home run -- with two strikeouts and no walks in one inning. Junior Guerra pitched the ninth for his second save.
Jennings retired only one of the five batters he faced in taking the loss, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits with a strikeout.
Gomes suffered a left forearm contusion after he was hit by a pitch in the first. Stevenson injured his side while striking out in the fourth.
--Field Level Media
Washington | Milwaukee | |
Max Scherzer | Player | Jhoulys Chacin |
No Decision | W/L | No Decision |
6.0 | IP | 5.0 |
10 | Strikeouts | 3 |
6 | Hits | 3 |
1.50 | ERA | 3.60 |
Washington | Milwaukee | |
Adam Eaton | Player | Orlando Arcia |
2 | Hits | 3 |
1 | RBI | 0 |
1 | HR | 0 |
5 | TB | 5 |
.500 | Avg | .750 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Washington | 5 | 2 | 11 | .161 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Milwaukee | 11 | 0 | 14 | .306 | 30 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |