The Milwaukee Brewers' skid has extended to four games, and a common theme continues to plague them.
The Milwaukee Brewers’ losing streak continued on Saturday with a 3-1 loss to the Washington Nationals, marking a fourth-straight defeat. Here is what contributed to it:
Offense Stays Cold
During their losing streak, the Brewers have had a difficult time generating any meaningful offense, and Saturday’s contest was the most egregious example.
Milwaukee managed just two hits in its 30 at-bats, and it took the Brewers until the bottom of the sixth inning to break through and put a hit on the board when Joey Ortiz singled to center field.
After that, Brewers catcher William Contreras homered in the bottom of the ninth inning in an attempt to breathe some life into his team, but nothing more would come from the batting order.
During its losing streak, Milwaukee is 15-for-131 at the plate, which translates to an abysmal .114 batting average. After scoring five-plus runs in eight of their first 10 games before the losing streak, the Brewers need to find a way to break out of their slump.
Harrison’s Rough Fifth Inning
After holding his own in the first half of the game, left-hander Kyle Harrison found himself in trouble in the top of the fifth inning, and it would lead to his exit.
Harrison gave up a single to Jacob Young before allowing Nasim Nuñez to double, which brought Young to third base with no outs. After getting Keibert Ruiz to fly out to Sal Frelick and keep Young from advancing, Harrison gave up another double to James Wood that brought Young and Nuňez across home plate.
After Wood’s double, Harrison was replaced by Grant Anderson. By the end of his outing, Harrison had gone 4 ⅓ innings while giving up four hits, two earned runs, and a walk while striking out one batter. He was assessed the losing decision, bringing him to 1-1 through his first three starts.
Sproat's Struggles
After Anderson’s brief appearance on the mound, 25-year-old right-hander Brandon Sproat took his place in the top of the sixth inning.
Sproat remained in the game until the top of the ninth inning before being replaced by DL Hall, and while he was able to log three strikeouts and pick off a runner, he also allowed three walks, four hits, and an earned run through 3 ⅔ innings.
The Brewers are now 8-6 and fourth in the National League Central Division after beginning the season 8-2. They will conclude their series against the Nationals on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. CDT.
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