Winker returns to Milwaukee and helps Nats end losing streak (updated)

MILWAUKEE – If anyone was worried the grind of 17 games in 17 days to close out the season’s first half – not to mention 13 losses over the last 17 games – would leave the Nationals a dejected bunch this evening, Jesse Winker and Co. made sure to allay those fears right off the bat tonight.

And if anyone was worried Jackson Rutledge wouldn’t be up to the challenge of his first big league start of 2024 against the first-place Brewers, the big right-hander also made sure to allay those fears right from the get-go.

Rutledge allowed only two runs in a strong-if-abbreviated spot start, and Winker led a balanced offensive attack with an RBI double and a solo homer against his former team as the Nats topped the Brewers, 5-2, and snapped their five-game losing streak with an all-around impressive showing.

An exhausted roster arrived in Milwaukee late Thursday night following a series sweep in New York and had to muster up the energy to take on the Brewers in the final weekend of this daunting stretch before everyone can enjoy a well-deserved All-Star break.

"That's your job. That's what you sign up for, to come in and grind it out," Winker said. "It's hard. It's a hard game. It was a tough stretch of games, and we've been playing a lot of really good teams, but it's a good league. It's our job to keep coming in, put the work in and grind stuff out."

The Nationals overcame their predicament by jumping out to an early lead, thanks in no small part to Winker’s exploits in his return to American Family Field after one injury-plagued, production-lacking season here. The locals haven’t forgotten.

Winker was front-and-center, taking it to his former team with two big hits. His two-out double off the wall in right-center brought home CJ Abrams in the top of the first and was met with a smattering of boos from the Milwaukee faithful. When he came up to bat four innings later, he drove another ball in the same direction but this time cleared the fence with plenty of room to spare, launching a 3-1 fastball from Freddy Peralta over the visitors' bullpen for his 11th homer. The boos were more vociferous this time as he rounded the bases.

"I was here last year, and I didn't play well," Winker said. "As a fan of the team, you have every right to react. I didn't play well. It's part of the game, unfortunately. I didn't do my job as a Brewer last year. But there's so many people over there I have great relationships with and have a ton of respect for."

Winker accounted for two of the runs off Peralta. Four straight hits from the bottom of the lineup in the top of the fourth accounted for the other two. Juan Yepez notched his fifth double in eight games since joining the team to ignite the rally and then moved to third on Luis García Jr.’s single.

Next came a pair of clutch hits by guys who needed them. Keibert Ruiz drove a 1-2 changeup 104 mph to right for an RBI single. And Trey Lipscomb followed with an RBI double to deep left field, the rookie’s first extra-base hit in his last 84 major league plate appearances, a stretch that dated back to late April.

And when Lane Thomas delivered an RBI single in the seventh, he became the ninth member of tonight’s lineup to record a hit. He also ensured the team had scored in four different innings tonight after doing so in only three of their previous 39.

"Very good," manager Davey Martinez said. "I think you go out and score some runs early, and guys tend to relax. The at-bats get better. The pitchers, actually, can relax a little bit and not have to be so fine."

Few would’ve predicted at the end of spring training Rutledge would finally make his first major league start of the season on July 12. Martinez all but declared the tall right-hander would be the first starter called up from Triple-A when a need arose. But when Josiah Gray landed on the injured list in mid-April, Rutledge was dealing with a minor ankle injury himself, so the call went to Mitchell Parker, who seized the opportunity and has remained up here since.

DJ Herz was next in line, so only now did Rutledge (who had a 6.66 ERA at Rochester) get his chance, making what figured to be a spot start regardless prior to the All-Star break. He did his best to make the most of it, though, and at least give club officials reason to consider bringing him back sometime during the second half.

Rutledge made his statement right from the outset tonight, retiring the side in the bottom of the first with a pair of strikeouts of All-Star starters William Contreras and Christian Yelich. With a fastball that topped out at 97 mph and a slider that induced six swings-and-misses, he very much looked the part of a big league pitcher through three scoreless innings.

"I was just relaxed and trusting the game plan," he said. "I haven't pitched very well at Triple-A, to be honest. So getting the call here, just answered prayers for the opportunity, and just said I'm going to go out and have fun and enjoy it. Just do what I know I can do. I fell like I pitched really relaxed and loose, and was having a good time."

Rutledge began to hit a wall in the bottom of the fourth, though, facing the lineup a second time. Willy Adames and Sal Frelick hit back-to-back RBI doubles to get the Brewers on the board, though Rutledge bounced back with four straight batters retired between the fourth and fifth, including his fifth and sixth strikeouts.

A two-out walk extended the fifth, though, and when Abrams booted a grounder to short to keep the inning going further, Martinez decided not to let his rookie starter face Yelich a third time and summoned left-hander Robert Garcia from the bullpen.

That move denied Rutledge a shot at the win, but Garcia did his part to keep the team in line for the win, ultimately recording four outs (three via strikeout) to keep the Nationals’ lead intact heading to the seventh.

"I figured I wasn't going to be facing Yelich there," Rutledge said. "I saw that Rob was warming up. Lefty-on-lefty, that's a completely understandable move. ... CJ's going to make that play 99 out of 100 times, and everybody knows that. It's part of baseball, and we move on. I was really happy Rob was able to come in and shut it down."

Derek Law, Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan then each posted a zero over the game’s final three innings, locking up a win their team needed in the worst way.