Brewers 14, Nationals 3: One of the most dominant sweeps in franchise history includes 38 runs, 56 hits
WASHINGTON — Roughly three hours before his unexpected return to the major leagues, Logan Henderson walked out to the mound at a mostly-vacant Nationals Park in his bare feet, summitted the bump, took in his surroundings and feined one pitch from the rubber.
When the time came to take the hill again, Henderson sure seemed comfortable.
So did the rest of the Milwaukee Brewers.
With another barrage of the bats led by Brice Turang's first mulit-homer game since high school, the Brewers backed Henderson — and then some — with a 14-3 bludgeoning of the Washington Nationals to cap a dominant sweep in which they tallied 56 hits, the most in any three-game span in franchise history, and 38 runs.
Every starter in the series in all three games reached base at least once, a total effort that pushed the Brewers' best record in baseball to 67-44, a season best 23 games above .500.
And it was all in the way the Brewers have become accustomed to doing it: With every nook and cranny of the roster contributing when called upon.
"I feel like there are so many ways this team scores runs," newcomer Brandon Lockridge said. "Good defense. It’s just good baseball to be a part of. You watch across the league and there’s some sloppy baseball. Three games I’ve been here it’s been lights out across the board. That’s super easy to come into and feel comfortable in."
Seemingly every time a new injury strikes the Brewers, they find the production they need from their replacement. When Tobias Myers went down late in spring, it was Chad Patrick who stepped up. Quinn Priester did the same. So have Andrew Vaughn, Isaac Collins and Caleb Durbin.
It's an uncanny stretch of production from players who weren't pegged for much of a role.
Yet, that's exactly how the Brewers operate.
"They’ve been good," manager Pat Murphy said. "The guys are loose. And there are a lot of guys who haven’t played very much. Once again, I go back to their hunger. They want to impress. They want to be here. And that matters."
Logan Henderson gets the start for Jacob Misiorowski, who goes on IL
Henderson carried that over at Nationals Park.
He was going through his pregame meeting before a scheduled start Aug. 2 in Scranton when Class AAA Nashville manager Rick Sweet barged in.
"Sweet said, 'Hey, you’re not starting today anymore,'" Henderson said. "He didn’t tell me why. He gave me 10 minutes and called me into his office."
With Jacob Misiorowski going on the injured list with a knee contusion, Henderson was the one to get the opportunity. The only problem?
"There were no flights available," Henderson said.
Instead, his father, Blake, and stepmother, Dee Ann, drove him four hours to D.C. from Scranton, Little League style.
"That was a full circle moment having my parents drive me here," Henderson said. "It was special."
After a couple of months in Nashville despite excellent results in his brief time in the majors — the Brewers are 5-0 in his starts and he owns a 1.78 ERA — it was a much-awaited but also unexpected call-up for the right-hander. Opportunity knocked, and Henderson answered with 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball with only three hits allowed.
"It’s all I’ve been looking for is another opportunity," Henderson said. "Super glad to be here and the focus today was just to help the team win. Glad the boys got the win on top of it."
Offense goes crazy in Washington
The Brewers can sometimes resemble a Little League team with their scrappy, fast and energetic style of play and their lineup featuring hitters in prominent roles with names not recognized around the league.
But in Washington, they looked like a team playing competition from a different age group.
After 16 runs and 25 hits in the opener Aug. 1, they put up eight runs and 15 more hits the next day. That was capped by yet another barrage, this time mostly against the Nationals bullpen, with another 14 runs and 16 hits.
The previous franchise record for hits in a three-game stretch was 52, which the Brewers surpassed with a two-run eighth.
Milwaukee accomplished it without anything out of the ordinary, either. It hit its share of homers, answering some questions about if the offense has enough slug after a relatively quiet trade deadline, but for the most part, just controlled the zone and put good swings on pitches in the zone.
"It's the same as we've been doing all year," said shortstop Joey Ortiz. "Kind of pass the baton to the next guy and compete to the best of our ability."
Brice Turang leaves the yard twice
In the power rankings of most impressive batting practice displays on the team, Turang should not be overlooked. At 5-foot-11 and 190 lbs., Turang, who had all of 19 career homers to his name coming into the day Aug. 3, doesn't exactly profile as a menacing slugger.
Yet Christian Yelich might be the only Brewers hitter to put on a more eye-opening batting practice than Turang, who's shown some unassuming raw power in those sessions.
It just mostly hasn't translated to games — until now.
Turang got a barrel on a pair of pitches from the Nationals and elevated them to his pull-side to set a new career-high with eight homers this year.
In the second inning, Washington starter Brad Lord served Brice Turang an 0-1 changeup over the plate with two outs, and the Brewers second baseman walloped it 399 feet to right-center.
It was Turang's first homer in nearly a month, with the last one coming July 13, also against the Nationals.
He followed it up with an even more impressive display of raw strength, turning on a two-strike fastball above the knees and off the inside corner for another two-run homer that traveled 396 feet to right, a swing that turned insult into, well, more insult by pushing the lead to 12-1 and capping a seven-run seventh.
"It’s a reaction," Turang said. "I reacted and dropped the head on it. Caught it out in front. Sometimes you do things and it’s just all reactionary."
Milwaukee puts the game away in seventh
Just about every hitter to grab some lumber was involved in the Brewers' seven-run seventh, but it was Lockridge who was firmly at the epicenter before Turang's exclamation point buried the hapless Nationals for good.
Lockridge followed a bases-loaded plunking of Caleb Durbin for the first run of the inning with a two-run single to center, giving him two hits and three RBI on the afternoon.
In a series in which his welcome to the team was replacing outfielder Jackson Chourio, who hit the injured list with a right hamstring strain, all Lockridge did was go 4 for 10, reach base five times, score three runs and steal a bag.
"It speaks to the players they have in this organization," Lockridge said. "Guys come off the bench put together good at bats get the hits when they need them. Good depth, good pieces. Everyone is locked in. It’s testament to the group they put together this year."
The advantageous Brewers strike in sixth
A relatively sparse crowd at Nationals Park was treated to a quintessential Brewers inning in the sixth as two runs scored without the benefit of a hit leaving the infield.
Blake Perkins walked and moved to second on Durbin's infield hit. Both advanced a base on an errant pickoff throw to second. Lockridge drove in a run to take a 4-1 lead with a sac fly to left, then Durbin stole third and came home on an errant throw from catcher Drew Millas.
What time is the Brewers game today?
Time: 12:35 p.m. CT.
What channel is the Brewers game on today?
TV channel: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin.
Brewers lineup
- Brice Turang 2B
- William Contreras C
- Andrew Vaughn 1B
- Christian Yelich DH
- Isaac Collins LF
- Blake Perkins CF
- Anthony Seigler 3B
- Brandon Lockridge RF
- Joey Ortiz SS
Nationals lineup
- CJ Abrams SS
- James Wood DH
- Luis Garcia 2B
- Josh Bell DH
- Daylen Lile LF
- Jose Tena 3B
- Robert Hassell Jr RF
- Drew Millas C
- Jacob Young CF
Brewers schedule
Brewers at Braves, Aug. 4, 6:15 p.m.: Milwaukee RHP Quinn Priester (10-2, 3.27) vs. Atlanta RHP Erick Fedde (3-11, 5.33). TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers at Braves, Aug. 5, 6:15 p.m.: Milwaukee RHP Freddy Peralta (12-5, 3.08) vs. Atlanta LHP Joey Wentz (2-2, 5.02). TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, FOX 6. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers at Braves, Aug. 6, 6:15 p.m.: Milwaukee LHP José Quintana (8-4, 3.50) vs. Atlanta RHP Spencer Strider (5-8, 3.71). TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin, Fox Sports 1. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.