Brewers 7, Nationals 1

W: Yovani Gallardo (12-10)
L: Collin Balester (1-4)

HR: Ryan Braun (27), Jody Gerut (5)

MVP: Ryan Braun (+.168)
LVP: Alcides Escobar (-.024)

Win Expectancy Graph
SBNation Coverage

A series win!

The Brewers, perhaps weirded out by a 4:30 local time start, were held nearly silent for the first five innings of today's (tonight's?) game, but exploded for six in the sixth and never looked back. The first eight Brewers reached in the inning, including a two run shot from Ryan Braun and RBI base hits from Jason Kendall and Jody Gerut. Gerut also added a solo shot late in the game, becoming one of just two Brewers to record multiple hits: Prince Fielder was the other, going 2-for-3 with a walk.

Yovani Gallardo struggled today but managed to pitch just well enough to keep the Brewers in the game. Despite allowing eight baserunners, Gallardo allowed just one earned run in five innings, partly due to his eight strikeouts. Claudio Vargas, David Weathers and Mitch Stetter combined to pitch four shutout innings to close the door.