Six batters score RBIs as the Nationals are easily defeated.
Wealth of offensive opportunities leads to resounding finish
The Brewers have been one of the best teams in baseball with runners in scoring position. Lucky for them, they had another night with opportunities galore as the team won 8-3 in the series opener against the Nationals.
Milwaukee went 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position, pouring an offensive deluge late in the game. Combined with two Nationals’ errors, the Brewers were able to run away with a comfortable win.
The big opening for Milwaukee first came in the second inning when three straight hits set the stage to push across some runs. Rhys Hoskins was responsible for an RBI double, but it was Garrett Mitchell’s two-RBI double that handed Milwaukee the early 3-0 lead.
The Nationals tied the game over the course of the next two innings, marring Montas’ otherwise impressive debut. A two-run homer to CJ Abrams was the main offensive supply for Washington. A stolen base followed by a single from Ildemaro Vargas in the next inning tied the score at 3-3, but those would be the only runs that Montas allowed. Maybe it was just the adrenaline from his first start on a new team, but Montas’ velocity was up across his entire arsenal.
The Nationals put themselves in trouble in the sixth inning, but the Brewers deserve credit for getting there. After Willy Adames’ leadoff single and two outs, the Nationals called to the bullpen for Robert Garcia. He proceeded to hit Sal Frelick with his second pitch and walk Joey Ortiz on four straight pitches.
Mitchell already had one big hit on the night, but Milwaukee brought in Blake Perkins to play the matchup against a lefty. He came through with a sharp single through the right side of the infield to send the Brewers surging ahead for good.
Who else would then expand on that lead but William Contreras and Jackson Chourio, two of the team’s hottest hitters? Contreras launched a ball well over the center field fence on a high fastball in the seventh inning for his 12th home run of the year. After Brice Turang tacked on a sacrifice fly, Chourio added some extra insurance with a single on the first pitch he saw to bring the score to its ultimate 8-3 line.
It was a solid win for the Brewers as they look to stave off teams like the Cardinals in the division and prove they still have a playoff lineup even without someone like Christian Yelich. Montas’ debut wasn’t flawless, giving up nine hard-hit balls, but it was a starting point as he makes his mark for Milwaukee. The offense backed him up with six different hitters adding at least one RBI to their stat page and eight different hitters notching a hit.
The Brewers resume their series against the Nationals tomorrow at 3:05 p.m. Aaron Civale is set to make his start against Nationals rookie DJ Herz.
