WASHINGTON _ This showed why Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns acquired relief help earlier in the day.
Ruining a brilliant start by Jimmy Nelson, the Brewers' bullpen blew up in horrific fashion in the eighth inning Wednesday night, allowing the Washington Nationals to score seven runs and come away with an 8-5 victory at Nationals Park.
It was the seventh loss in nine games for the Brewers on this three-city trip and by far the ugliest. They took a 2-1 lead into the eighth, and after Nelson was removed after a leadoff walk, all heck broke loose.
Jacob Barnes, coming off a bad outing in Philadelphia (tying three-run homer), got an out when catcher Manny Pina fielded Adrian Sanchez's bunt and got an out at second but couldn't take advantage. Brian Goodwin, who had struck out three times, chopped a double to right and Wilmer Difo followed with a RBI single to tie the game.
Rookie lefty Josh Hader came in to strike out Bryce Harper, who was ejected for arguing balls and strikes. Jared Hughes, who had a 0.95 ERA over his previous 21 outings, then was tagged for one big hit after another as the Nationals scored six more runs while sending 11 hitters to the plate.
Reliever Anthony Swarzak, acquired earlier in the day from the Chicago White Sox, didn't make it in time for the game but would have been welcomed. The Brewers scored three runs in the ninth off new Washington closer Sean Doolittle, including the first major league home run by Lewis Brinson, but it wasn't enough.
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 Jesus Aguilar struck out but reached base on a wild pitch.
From that point, the pitching duel was on. Gonzalez settled in and Nelson was in command from the Brewers' side. Milwaukee put two on with two down in the fourth but Orlando Arcia's fly ball to deep center was hauled in by Goodwin.
Jonathan Villar doubled with one out in the fifth and stole second but was stranded when Santana bounced out to third, with the infield in, and Gonzalez speared Ryan Braun's sharp comebacker to get the out at first.
Meanwhile, it was nothing doing for the Nationals in the early going against Nelson. Through the first six innings, they did not advance a runner past first base, collecting three singles and striking out eight times.
That dominance ended briefly in the seventh when Daniel Murphy yanked a 1-2 fastball out to right with one out for his 17th homer of the season. Nelson recovered to strike out the next two hitters but it was a one-run game.
