The Brewers are well known as a team that loves to play small ball. They grind out at bats, get infield hits and are not afraid to drop down a bunt. Tonight, the Nats gave them a taste of their own medicine in the biggest spot. The Nats used three huge bunts to win this one 7-3.
In the first inning, it looked like this game was going to be a high scoring slugfest. The Nats started things out with a two run inning, thanks to RBI knocks from Curtis Mead and CJ Abrams. However, the Brew Crew responded with a three run blast from Jake Bauers.
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For Jake Irvin, he did not have great command, but was able to battle. He walked five and really struggled in that first inning. However, the big right hander was able to settle in and give the Nats five key frames. Irvin was not only able to save the bullpen, he was also able to keep the Nats in the game.
Despite getting five frames from Irvin, the Nats still needed their rickety bullpen to keep the Brewers at bay. Surprisingly, they did just that. Paxton Schultz, Cionel Perez, PJ Poulin and Clayton Beeter combined for 4 scoreless innings. This bullpen has taken a lot of heat, and rightly so. However, they did their job tonight and we have to give them credit for that.
If you told me that the Nats would win a bullpen battle with the Brewers, I would not believe you. That is exactly what they did though. The ‘pen also did not issue any walks tonight, which is a very encouraging sign.
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While the pitching staff was putting up zeroes, the Nats were trying to get back in the game. Jacob Young provided a pinch hit spark in the 7th, with a two out RBI double to tie the game. He got thrown out trying to extend it to a triple, but it was still a success even if the patient died.
When the 9th inning rolled around, the Brewers turned to their closer Trevor Megill. That is when the magic really started. It all started with a CJ Abrams hit by pitch and a Joey Wiemer bunt hit. The Nats must have known Megill was not a strong fielder because they were torturing him with bunts that inning. After a Luis Garcia Jr. RBI single, a barrage of bunts made it 6-3.
After all those soft bunts, James Wood decided to turn it up a notch, drilling a 115 mph double down the right field line to make it 7-3. Clayton Beeter shut the door with a clean 1-2-3 9th, and the Nats improved to 5-8.
Speaking of Wood, he is on an absolute tear right now. After the way he finished last season, his first week or so was concerning. However, we have seen the best of Wood in the last week. Somehow, his 115 mph double was not even his hardest hit ball of the night. He launched one 116 mph in the first inning for a double.
With four hits tonight, Wood is now hitting .268 with a .930 OPS. I do not think this guy is going to Rochester any time soon folks. Overall, it was a great win for the Nats and hopefully they can finish the job and win the series tomorrow.
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