The Brewers have been on a roller coaster ride for the past month. They went on a 10-2 stretch from late June to mid July, but then proceeded to lose six in a row, which they then followed up with four straight games of alternating wins and losses, bringing us to tomorrow’s contest.
Still, there’s a lot to look forward to their dangerous batting game. Domingo Santana, Travis Shaw, and Manny Pina have been playing well in the last seven days, combining to go 24-for-75 (.320) with four homers, 10 RBIs, and 11 runs in that span. Ryan Braun got blanked last night, but should be able to produce again soon, as he had five hits, one homer, and six RBIs in his 11 prior at-bats.
The offense should be looking to do as much as it can, as they will be parading an unknown starter on the mound. Third-year pro Michael Blazek, a seldom-used middle reliever, will be making his first start of the season. He has tossed for just 6.1 innings on the year, allowing one run on five hits, with three strikeouts.
The Nationals bounced back well from the embarrassing shutout loss to the Brewers on Tuesday. The final score (8-5) didn’t tell much of the story, but the Nats’ seven-run eighth inning – in a rather quiet affair – pretty much pummeled the Brewers’ chances for the contest. It was their ninth victory in 12 games.
We should see the Nats continue their winning ways tomorrow afternoon, especially since unlike most teams, they are always able to get ample production outside the usual guys (Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, and Ryan Zimmerman). This past week, it was Wilmer Difo’s turn to shine – the third-year pro from the Dominican Republic has five hits, one homer, and four RBIs in his last 16 at-bats.
The defense, meanwhile, will have Max Scherzer (11-5, 2.26 ERA) back on the mound. The two-time Cy Young winner had an ugly outing in his previous start (allowed five runs on five hits and three walks), but look for him to have a far better performance tomorrow. Scherzer hasn’t lost in back-to-back regular season starts since June of last year.
