The Milwaukee Brewers suffered another defeat on Friday. What contributed to it?
The Milwaukee Brewers suffered their third straight loss after falling to the Washington Nationals on Friday, 7-3. Below were the keys that contributed to their loss:
Going With an Opener
The Brewers returned home to Milwaukee after losing a three-game set to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park earlier in the week, and the original plan was for Chad Patrick to get the start. However, Milwaukee changed its plans.
Instead, left-hander Aaron Ashby opened the game, and Patrick followed suit. It was a plan that did not work out in the Brewers’ favor, though, as Ashby gave up three hits and two earned runs through 2 ⅓ innings to put Milwaukee behind early.
Patrick took the mound in the top of the third inning and would not allow a run despite giving up three hits and a walk through three innings of work.
Ninth-Inning Collapse
The first inning featured a back-and-forth scoring affair from both teams. After Milwaukee fell behind 2-0, it was able to tack on three first-inning runs to take the lead thanks to a Jake Bauers home run.
The Brewers held that lead until the top of the seventh inning, when Angel Zerpa gave up an RBI double to Jacob Young that led to a tie game. By the top of the ninth inning, everything fell apart for the Brewers.
The Nationals scored four runs in their final at-bat, all of which came off closer Trevor Megill. It began with Megill hitting CJ Abrams with a pitch before allowing multiple sacrifice bunts and singles that continuously got Washington runners across home plate.
Easton McGee eventually replaced Megill but gave up an RBI double to James Wood that allowed the Nationals to get their fourth run of the inning on the board. Milwaukee was able to get out of the inning afterward, but the damage had already been done.
Another Slow Offensive Night
Over the last three games, the Brewers’ offense has been in a rough place.
Milwaukee managed just four hits on 30 at-bats on Friday. Bauers accounted for two of those hits. After he hit a single in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Brewers would muster only one more hit the rest of the game.
Over its losing streak, Milwaukee is just 13-for-91 at the plate, which is equivalent to a .142 batting average. Friday’s loss brings them to 8-5 and third in the National League Central Division. The Brewers will face the Nationals in Game 2 of the three-game slate on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. CT.
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