LDN - Sports

Nationals end seven-game losing streak

[June 27, 2016] MILWAUKEE - Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker was in a celebratory mood Sunday afternoon after a 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park ended the Nationals' seven-game losing streak.

"That's the biggest getaway victory we've had this year," Baker said. "It wasn't easy, but at least we're going home with a victory."

Tanner Roark threw seven shutout innings while Jose Lobaton and Clint Robinson each hit home runs as the Nationals wrapped up a 10-game road trip.

"It is good to hear our celebration music," Roark said. "It is good morale going home for our series coming up."

Roark (7-5) held Milwaukee to seven hits and a walk while striking out seven to pick up a victory for the third time in his last four starts.

"(My) warmup pitches kind of stunk, but after that and I went out and got it loose again I felt fine," Roark said. "Everything still felt great throughout the whole entire game.

"Just getting ahead of guys and not walking guys. I walked (Jonathan) Villar, the first batter of the game, but just limited the walks and free passes. Just attacking and going after guys and not giving in."

He had little to show for his work early on as the Nationals managed just one hit off Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson, who only lasted five innings in large part because of five walks.

"It was just command," Nelson said. "It was just that one inning where I threw three walks. That right there in itself is 12 pitches, that's a whole inning of work. That's all it was, was that one inning."

Three of those walks came with two outs in the fifth. Roark drew his second walk of the game and Ben Revere followed with a four-pitch free pass to bring up Jayson Werth, who worked the count full before walking to load the bases.

Nelson escaped the inning when Bryce Harper flew out to the base of the wall in center.

"His stuff was really good," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "He ran into some places where he just started to fight himself and got out of whack. But at the same time, he did come back and get out of those innings, making pitches at some point to get him out of those innings."

Aaron Hill led off the bottom of the inning with a double and Counsell opted to pinch-hit for Nelson, who had thrown 91 pitches.

"The first couple innings it looked like it was going to be a really good outing," Counsell said. "He struggled with some walks, obviously, but he wiggled out of it and he certainly gave us a chance to win."

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Nationals catcher Jose Lobaton (59) hits a solo home run in the seventh inning during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Rendon broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff single in the sixth off Jacob Barnes (0-1), who also allowed Lobaton's home run -- his first of the season -- to open the seventh.

"We were trying to figure out how long we could flirt with the home run because this is a homer park," Baker said. "We hadn't hit one until today."

Robinson made it a 3-0 game with a two-run shot in the eighth off Michael Blazek.

Milwaukee broke the shutout in the eighth when Ryan Braun tripled and scored on a Jonathan Lucroy ground out.

Shawn Kelley allowed a two-out, pinch-hit home run to Martin Maldonado and put the tying run at third on a Villar triple but Scooter Gennett popped up to end it as Kelley earned his third save of the year.

"We can go home now and sleep in our own beds," Baker said. "It doesn't seem like we've been home all month."

NOTES: The Nationals placed RHP Stephen Strasburg on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with a strained upper back -- the same injury that scratched him from his last start. He was originally slated to return to action Sunday but was scratched Saturday after tweaking his back during pregame workouts. The move is retroactive to June 16. A corresponding roster move to replace Strasburg on the roster will be announced Monday. ... RHP Joe Ross will start Monday for the Nationals with a decision to be made later for Tuesday's starter. ... Milwaukee was looking for its first sweep of the Nationals since May 23-25, 2011. ... The Brewers' had won a season-high four home games in a row before Sunday's loss.

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