In a season without many bright spots, the Washington Nationals will take the field Sunday afternoon with a chance to take the season series from the team holding the biggest divisional lead in the National League.
Having won three of five games from the Milwaukee Brewers this season, the Nationals will host the NL Central leaders one last time following Saturday’s 6-4 win.
This three-game series is even at one game apiece. The Nationals took two of three from the Brewers in Milwaukee in their final series before the All-Star break.
Both teams will send rookies to the mound on Sunday, with Milwaukee handing the ball to right-hander Tobias Myers (6-4, 3.10 ERA) and Washington turning to lefty Mitchell Parker (5-6, 4.31).
Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. has been hot throughout the series, going 6-for-8 with four runs scored, one home run and an RBI in the two games. He finished a triple shy of the cycle in Saturday’s win, which broke a five-game losing streak for the Nationals.
“He’s working really hard to get better, he really is,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said of Garcia. “When you’re doing those little things — he focuses on those little things, and it’s making him a lot better.”
Milwaukee’s Rhys Hoskins also is trying to continue building momentum at the plate. Hoskins is batting .220 this season, but he enters Sunday’s contest with a nine-game hitting streak.
He continued his streak Saturday with a solo home run that pulled the Brewers to within 6-2 in the seventh as Milwaukee got the game as close as 6-4 with a runner on second base in the final inning.
“Getting in a five-run hole is tough, and we had some better opportunities late that we didn’t take full advantage of,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “Guys put themselves in position to win, and we just didn’t get the big hit there at the end of the game. This team that we’re playing just have been playing us, catching us at a time when we’re not at full strength. (The Nationals) are playing free, they’re playing the young guys, and they’re a fun team to watch.”
In his last appearance, Myers pitched four innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk with five strikeouts in a no-decision against Miami last Sunday. He has never faced the Nationals.
Parker, on the other hand, has seen his opponent. On July 13, the 24-year-old failed to get out of the first inning, giving up five runs on three hits with two walks while recording only two outs in Milwaukee. It was the shortest outing of his career. Washington was able to recover and win the game 6-5.
In his previous start, on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Parker allowed two runs on four hits, striking out three and walking two in five innings. He received a no-decision in the Nationals’ 9-8 loss as he continues to seek his first win since June 16.
–Field Level Media
