Lombardozzi's triple lifts Nats past Brewers 8-2

[July 27, 2012]  MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Edwin Jackson pitched seven scoreless innings and Steve Lombardozzi hit a three-run triple in the Washington Nationals' 8-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night.

The Nationals have won six consecutive games, matching a season-high, and improved to 59-39. The last time a Washington-based team was 20 games over .500 was 1933, when the American League Senators finished 99-53 and lost the World Series in five games to the New York Giants.

Milwaukee's seventh straight loss came on the day general manager Doug Melvin acknowledged he was working to trade ace Zack Greinke, effectively signaling that the Brewers are giving up hopes of reaching the postseason a year after advancing to the NL championship series.

Jackson (6-6) scattered eight hits and a walk while striking out four. The Brewers were 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position against the right-hander.

Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo (8-8) put his team in a hole early, allowing the Nationals to score four runs in the second. The right-hander gave up seven runs on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts in five innings.

Every Washington starter reached base except for Danny Espinosa, who went 0 for 4 in snapping his 11-game hitting streak.

Adam LaRoche hit the first pitch of the second inning for his 19th home run of the year to make it 1-0. He has homered in three consecutive games.

With two outs, Roger Bernadina walked. Washington put on the hit-and-run, and Jesus Flores hit a routine grounder to second, but Rickie Weeks had vacated his spot to cover second. The ball bounced into the outfield and Flores reached on a single to keep the inning alive.

Gallardo then walked Jackson to load the bases. Lombardozzi followed with a hard grounder past a diving Corey Hart at first that went down the right-field line for a triple and a 4-0 Washington lead.

The Nationals scored three more off Gallardo in the fifth. Jackson led off with a single and moved to third on a one-out single by Bryce Harper.

Ryan Zimmerman then hit an RBI single to score Jackson, and LaRoche's slow groundout to first scored Harper for a 6-0 lead.

Michael Morse hit an RBI single that drove in Zimmerman for a 7-0 lead.

Morse added another RBI single in the eighth for an 8-0 lead.

Carlos Gomez hit a two-run home run, his eighth of the year, off reliever Henry Rodriguez in the eighth for Milwaukee.

NOTES: Brewers C Jonathan Lucroy was reinstated from the 15-day DL and the contract of RHP Jeff Henderson was selected from Triple-A Nashville. To make room on the roster, C George Kottaras was designated for assignment and INF Jeff Bianchi was optioned to Nashville. ... Washington had lost eight consecutive games at Miller Park, but it was the first game between the teams since May 2011.

[Associated Press]

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