Bullpen blows another game, Milwaukee Brewers lose 8-5 to the Nationals

WP: Ryan Madson (3-4)
LP: Jacob Barnes (3-2)

HR: Domingo Santana (17), Lewis Brinson (1), Daniel Murphy (17)

Box Score

What happened!? I watched most of the game, left the house to a movie, when I get to the theater, I check the score in the bar. Brewers up 2-0 in the sixth inning. Thumbs up, all is good in the world. I get out of the theater to turn on the game and hear a recap, 8-5!?

I didn’t really need to guess what happened, the answer, as always, was the bullpen. Jimmy Nelson had a great game tonight, going seven innings and only allowing two runs while striking out ten. The two runs did mean he left with a tie game and the bullpen was responsible for holding the lead. As you already know, this is where we cue the sad trombone.

It started with Jacob Barnes. Oh Jacob Barnes, we once thought you were a future closer. Your stuff moved so brilliantly and dominated innings. Now, you give up the go-ahead runs, two, in a third of an inning. He comes out, Hader comes in, gets an out, and then we go to Jarred Hughes. Hughes has been pitching phenomenally in the last month plus but has caught whatever disease going around the pen that makes you suck. In his third of an inning, he gave up four runs. All in all, the Nats scored seven in the eighth inning to take an 8-2 lead.

The Brewers offense did their best to come back. In the ninth, they would score three runs. Most importantly, Lewis Brinson would hit his first career homer that inning. It was not enough and the Nats win game two of the series.

Thank the baseball gods that Anthony Swarzek officially becomes a Brewer tomorrow. The bullpen needs you Swarzy (or whatever your nickname that ends with an “ee” sound ends up being).

Tomorrow, Michael Blazek (0-0, 0.00 ERA) goes up against Nationals ace Max Scherzer (11-5, 2.26 ERA). It’s an early 11:05 a.m. start. Good luck, Brewers. You’re going to need it.