Brewers 4, Nationals 1
WASHINGTON -- Norichika Aoki and Logan Schafer had two-run hits in back-to-back innings and Kyle Lohse pitched a shutout into the seventh as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Washington Nationals 4-1 on Wednesday.
Schafer, hitting .150 against lefties going into Wednesday's game, stroked a two-run triple off Washington southpaw starter Ross Detwiler (2-7) to make the score 4-0 in the sixth. The runs were unearned as Aramis Ramirez began the inning with a liner to left that Bryce Harper dropped for an error -- his second drop in two days.
Jonathan Lucroy then singled and two outs later Schafer connected for his first extra-base hit off a lefty this season in 23 at bats.
Schafer also had an infield single and scored in the fifth inning on a two-run single by Aoki for the Brewers (34-49), who got three hits from Aoki. In the eighth against lefty reliever Fernando Abad, Schafer was robbed of extra bases on a catch by center fielder Denard Span.
The loss left the Nationals (42-42) back at .500 and perplexed after losing for the second day in a row to the last-place Brewers. After scoring 23 runs in two games, the Nationals have just one run in the past two games.
Lohse (4-6) had his shutout broken in the last of the seventh on solo homer by rookie Anthony Rendon, a two-out shot into the Milwaukee bullpen in left. It was his second career homer and came on a hanging curveball, and was the first run in 15 innings for the Nationals.
Lohse gave up four hits in eight innings. Francisco Rodriguez pitched the ninth for the Brewers and earned his seventh save as he retired Rendon for the final out with two runners on.
Detwiler, who has not won since May 10, gave up eight hits and four runs, two earned.
NOTES: The Milwaukee bullpen had a 2.78 ERA going into play Wednesday, the second-best mark in the majors. Last year, the bullpen ERA was 4.66, the worst mark in the majors. ... The bullpen got 11 outs without allowing a run in a 4-0 win on Tuesday. ... Milwaukee SS Jean Segura was back in the starting lineup after getting a day off for rest on Tuesday. Also in the starting lineup was CF Carlos Gomez, who rested a sore shoulder on Tuesday. The two had combined for 196 hits, which was tied for second among National League teammates, before Wednesday. ... C Wilson Ramos (left hamstring) was the DH for a rehab appearance on Wednesday at Single-A Potomac in Woodbridge, Va. He is slated to join the Nationals on Thursday. ... The teams will conclude the four-game series with a special 11:05 a.m. start Thursday on July 4. RHP Taylor Jordan is slated to make his first Nationals Park start for Washington. He made his big-league debut on Saturday at New York against the Mets. "I got (the debut) out of the way. I am starting to get comfortable here now," Jordan said Tuesday. ... The Nationals signed veteran C Kelly Shoppach to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Syracuse, pending a physical, according to Director of Player Development Doug Harris
