MILWAUKEE – The Nationals, as you probably realize by now, are limping into the All-Star break. They’ve lost five in a row, not to mention 13 of their last 17. They’ve gone from one game under .500 to 10 games under .500, a significant difference as they evaluate the overall state of things heading into the trade deadline at the end of the month.
What the Nats need right now, though, is a good weekend against the Brewers. They’ve got to try to summon the energy and motivation to play better baseball the next three days before dispersing around the country for the break.
They especially need to score more runs on a more consistent basis after a really rough series in New York that saw them score seven total runs in three games, five of those coming in the final two innings of Tuesday’s loss, the other two coming in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s loss. That’s just not going to cut it. Tonight, they face veteran right-hander Freddy Peralta, who over his last four starts has a 2.45 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 22 innings.
There’s a new face on the mound tonight for the Nationals: Jackson Rutledge, who officially was recalled from Triple-A, with Joan Adon optioned back to Rochester to clear a roster spot for him. Rutledge was supposed to be the first starter called up when the season began, but a rough start to his season in Rochester opened the door for Mitchell Parker, then later DJ Herz, and we’ve seen how those two seized their opportunities. This figures to be a one-off for Rutledge, who had a 6.66 ERA in 16 minor league starts this year but did allow two or fewer earned runs in three of his last four.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Where: American Family Field
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 81 degrees, wind 7 mph in from center field
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
RF Lane Thomas
DH Jesse Winker
1B Juan Yepez
2B Luis García Jr.
C Keibert Ruiz
3B Trey Lipscomb
CF Jacob Young
RHP Jackson Rutledge
BREWERS
Lineup TBA
RHP Freddy Peralta