Brewers at Nationals
If the Washington Nationals expect to overtake the Atlanta Braves and win their second straight National League East title, they better stop squandering opportunities against the lower-echelon teams. The Nationals will try to salvage a split of a four-game series when they host the last-place Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. Washington, which lost to Milwaukee 4-1 on Wednesday, sits seven games behind Atlanta.
The Nationals' Bryce Harper homered in his first at-bat Monday after missing the previous 31 games with a left knee injury, but is hitless in 11 at-bats since. Milwaukee, which has won two straight after dropping six in a row but remains in the NL Central cellar, doesn't appear it will get its superstar back prior to the All-Star break. Ryan Braun's injured right thumb has been slow to heal, but Carlos Gomez and Jean Segura returned to the lineup Wednesday while battling injuries.
TV: 11:05 a.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), MASN (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Donovan Hand (0-1, 2.63 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Taylor Jordan (0-1, 2.08)
Hand took the loss after allowing two runs and five hits in five innings of Milwaukee's 2-1 setback at Pittsburgh on Saturday. The 27-year-old rookie from Hatton, Alabama has thrown 86 of his 116 pitches for strikes in his two starts. Hand, who held Atlanta scoreless while allowing two hits in 4 2/3 frames in his first start on June 22, has appeared in 11 games (24 innings) and sports a 1.04 WHIP while walking three and striking out 14.
Jordan allowed three runs (one earned) and five hits over 4 1/3 innings in his major-league debut, a 5-1 loss to the Mets in New York on Saturday. The 24-year-old native of Merritt Island, Florida was 9-1 with a 1.00 ERA in 15 minor-league games (14 starts) this season - including 7-0, 0.83 at Double-A Harrisburg. Jordan originally was drafted in the 18th round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2007 before the Nationals selected him in the ninth round in 2009.
WALK-OFFS
1. Washington, which averages 3.6 runs - second-worst in the major leagues to Miami's 3.3, has scored once in its last two games after totaling 23 runs in its previous two contests.
2. Milwaukee leads the major leagues with 102 infield hits after recording three Wednesday.
3. Nationals C Wilson Ramos is expected to start Thursday when he returns from the 15-day disabled list after recovering from a left hamstring injury.