Nationals Take Three From Brewers

Fun series! (Jordan may disagree about the outcomes.) Three straight one-run games to start the series, with plenty of lead changes and some late heroics. Let's go to the recap ... 

Game 1 - Nationals 3, Brewers 2

Starters - Megill vs. Rodon

W - Romero L - Bender SV - Santillan

Nats strung together a CJ Abrams single/SB, a Jeff McNeil double, and a Michael Busch RBI single in the bottom of the 8th to turn a 2-1 deficit into the final margin of victory. Rodon pitched 7 very good innings. 

Game 2 - Nationals 7, Brewers 6

Starters - Pepiot vs. Boyd

W - Dreyer  L - Finnegan SV - Beck

HR - Rojas, Abrams, Stowers

Another bottom of the 8th mini-rally capped by a Mickey Moniak ribbie single carried the Nats to the win. This was going to sting for whoever lost -- Nats led 4-2 after 6, the Brewers went up 5-4 in top 7 only to see the Nats recapture a 6-5 lead ... followed by another Brewers effort to tie it in the top 8. Abrams two-run HR in the 7th was huge for the Nats; a big Nick Fortes single in the 8th brought the Brewers back to level. Tristan Beck had to come in to get the final out with the bases loaded in the 9th. 

Game 3 - Brewers 7, Nationals 6 (10 innings)

Starters: Lodolo vs. Lively

W - Duran L - Dreyer

HR - Busch 2, Paredes 2, Chourio, Santana

Brewers breathe a sigh of relief after Isaac Paredes' 10th-inning bomb rescued the victory. Nats had been held down for most of the game until a Jackson Chourio 9th-inning error contributed to a rally that culminated in a Busch 3-run blast to tie it at 6-6 in the 9th. In came Jhoan Duran, up came PCA who rolled a diamond ... 1-7 ... but wasn't to be. Then Paredes delivered the winner.

Game 4 - Nationals 7, Brewers 4

W - Pivetta L - Gray SV - Dreyer

HR - Chapman, Busch, Ramos

No wild rallies at the end but this one had some early drama as the Brewers batted around in the 4th inning when they scored all four of their runs. Busch -- again -- put the Nats back up 5-4 in the bottom of the inning, and it was pretty quiet from there. This was the only game in which either starting pitcher got a decision.