Skidding Brewers Bid to Avert Sweep in Finale vs. Nationals

The Milwaukee Brewers, suddenly finding themselves in a bit of a slump, are looking to right-hander Colin Rea to help them avoid a three-game sweep against the visiting Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon. Rea (8-3, 3.81 ERA) will face off against right-hander Jake Irvin (7-7, 3.13 ERA).

Brewers’ Recent Struggles

The Brewers had a heartbreaking loss on Saturday when CJ Abrams delivered a two-run homer in the ninth inning, allowing the Nationals to erase an early five-run deficit and rally for a 6-5 victory. Milwaukee, which has been leading the National League Central since April 30, has now lost seven of their last nine games. After winning nine consecutive home series, they have dropped both series on this homestand.

“You’ve got to tack on runs and keep playing hard,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “The bottom line is we played well enough to win but they played a little bit better when they needed to.”

Saturday’s Game Recap

The Nationals were down 5-0 after the first inning but scored three runs in the fourth, and then Luis Garcia Jr.’s leadoff pinch-hit homer in the seventh made it a one-run game. Nationals starter Mitchell Parker didn’t make it out of the first inning and was pulled after 46 pitches. Five relievers combined to keep Milwaukee in check for the rest of the game.

“Everybody in that bullpen today gave me everything they had,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “(Sunday’s) going to be a different story. We’ll see how we do, but we need some length out of our starter, Jake. And hopefully we score runs early.”

Pitching Matchup: Rea vs. Irvin

Colin Rea struggled in his last outing, allowing seven runs in five-plus innings in a 12-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, marking his first defeat since May 19. “I felt like things were rolling pretty good,” Rea said after his last start. “I felt like we executed pitches in the sixth inning; I just wouldn’t say they were particularly sharp. They were executed, but they didn’t have a lot behind them, a lot of sharpness to them.” Over his last seven games, Rea is 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA. His eight victories this season are a team high. Rea allowed one earned run over 6 1/3 innings in his lone career start against the Nationals, which came in 2016 with the San Diego Padres.

Jake Irvin struggled with his command in his most recent start, getting tagged for six runs on nine hits in six innings in a 7-5 loss to the New York Mets on Tuesday. “The curveball shape and the fastball shape were pretty bad today,” Irvin said afterward. “They were a little different than they normally are. I’ll go back and look at [the video] and see what the issue was. But definitely not being able to throw them consistently was an issue.” Irvin was 4-1 with a 2.31 ERA in six starts in June. He is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts this month. Irvin’s only two career starts versus Milwaukee came last season. He went 0-1, allowing six runs in 10 innings, striking out eight and walking seven.

Conclusion

The Brewers are determined to avoid a sweep against the Nationals in the series finale. With Colin Rea and Jake Irvin set to pitch, fans can expect an exciting and competitive matchup. Both teams are making strategic changes to their lineups and bullpens, adding to the intrigue of this crucial game.