MILWAUKEE — Brice Turang and Joey Wiemer hit consecutive two-run singles as part of a four-run fourth inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Washington Nationals 6-4 Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
Milwaukee began the day 1½ games behind Cincinnati in the NL Central and tied with Arizona and Miami for the third wild-card spot.
The Brewers had already added first baseman Carlos Santana from Pittsburgh and outfielder Mark Canha from the New York Mets before Tuesday's trade deadline. Thirty minutes before the deadline, Milwaukee added left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin from Arizona for right-hander Peter Strzelecki.
Manager Craig Counsell said Chafin will join the Brewers on Thursday in Milwaukee. Canha was 0 for 3 with a walk and a run Tuesday in his Milwaukee debut.
Last-place Washington, which had won eight of its last nine home games, was a seller at the deadline for the third season in a row. But unlike 2021, when it traded away Max Scherzer, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, and last year, when it sent Juan Soto and Josh Bell to San Diego, the Nationals weren’t involved in a blockbuster. They moved third baseman Jeimer Candelario to the Chicago Cubs for two minor-leaguers Monday, then made no additional moves Tuesday.
“A couple of our players came in at 6:01 p.m. and said ‘Am I still here?'” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. “I said, ‘Yeah, you guys are good.’ I said, ‘You got traded to the Washington Nationals, so congratulations, keep playing.’”
Freddy Peralta (7-8) earned his second victory since May 21, allowing three runs in six innings. He struck out seven in his first outing since matching his career-high with 13 strikeouts Wednesday against Cincinnati, and retired nine of the last 10 batters he faced.
“I was a little more concentrated on what I had do,” Peralta said. “We needed this one.”
Devin Williams pitched the ninth to earn his 27th save in 29 chances.
The Brewers went ahead in the fourth after loading the bases with three walks in a span of four batters. Turang lined a single to center off Josiah Gray (7-9) to tie it at 3, then stole second and came around on Wiemer's two-run single.
“It was a move-the-line inning,” Counsell said. “A bunch of walks, then two big hits and two great at-bats at the end to do it.”
Facing Milwaukee for the first time in his career, Gray allowed five runs while striking out three in 3 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season.
“It’s just part of the game," Gray said. “Sometimes you handle it well, sometimes you don’t and you give up some runs, you give up some hits. I was one pitch away from getting out of there, but it’s not going to be the last time I’m in a sticky situation. Unfortunately, it didn’t go my way today, but next time hopefully it will.”
After Milwaukee scored on Andruw Monasterio's RBI single in the second, the Nationals went ahead with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Jake Alu, recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Rochester and promptly plugged into Candelario's spot at third base, tied it with a single. Two batters later, CJ Abrams poked a two-run single to right.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Brewers: RHP Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four over 4 2/3 innings in a rehabilitation start for Triple-A Nashville. … INF/OF Brian Anderson (back) was 1 for 4 in his first rehab game for Nashville. ... LHP Bennett Sousa (shoulder) pitched a scoreless inning for Nashville. ... Milwaukee traded minor-league C Alex Jackson to Tampa Bay for RHP Evan McKendry, who will report to Nashville.
Nationals: Washington claimed LHP Robert Garcia off waivers from Miami.
UP NEXT
Brewers: LHP Wade Miley (6-2, 3.06 ERA) is scheduled to be activated from the injured list and make his first start since July 9 as the three-game series concludes Wednesday.
Nationals: LHP MacKenzie Gore (6-8, 4.42) threw six shutout innings and struck out 10 on June 4, 2022, in his only previous career start against Milwaukee.
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