Harper helps Nationals tee off on Garza, Brewers
WASHINGTON -- Starter Matt Garza gave up three home runs to his nemesis, the Washington Nationals, who posted a 7-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday to salvage the finale of the three-game series.
The Brewers (37-47) had won four of the first five contests between the teams this year. National League East-leading Washington (51-35) had lost three of their previous four games to the last-place Cincinnati Reds and Brewers.
Bryce Harper had a three-run homer in the first, Jose Lobaton added a solo shot in the second and Ryan Zimmerman went deep for a two-run blast in the fifth off Garza (1-2).
The veteran right-hander had not allowed any home runs in his first four starts this year over 21 2/3 innings. But he gave up three Wednesday and allowed seven earned runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Garza, who came off the disabled list on June 14, had a 7.01 ERA in nine previous starts against Washington. Garza saw his ERA rise from 3.74 to 5.54 as Michael Blazek came on in the fifth.
Washington starter Tanner Roark (8-5) yielded four runs - all in one inning - on seven hits with six strikeouts in seven innings before lefty Sammy Solis entered in the eighth. Shawn Kelley got two strikeouts to end the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon finished the ninth for his 17th save.
Zimmerman hammered a two-run homer to center to make it 7-4 in the fifth. Stephen Drew had an RBI double to put the Nationals up 5-4 in the third.
The Brewers scored four runs in the third to tie the game at 4. Scooter Gennett had a two-run single, Jonathan Lucroy drove in a run with a single and Gennett stole home on the back end of a double steal for the final run.
Backup catcher Lobaton, who was getting a rare start, hit a solo homer off Garza in the second to make it 4-0. Both of the homers hit by Lobaton this year have come against the Brewers.
Harper lined a 1-1 pitch into the Brewers bullpen in left for a three-run homer to give Washington a 3-0 lead. It was the 18th homer of the season for Harper, who was named a National League All-Star starter Tuesday. Harper had been batting third most of this season but he hit cleanup on Wednesday and responded right away.
Washington has scored 68 runs in the first inning this year. The Nationals entered Wednesday second in the majors in that category, in back of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Zimmerman and Jayson Werth had two hits for the Nationals, and Lucroy and Jonathan Villar had two for the Brewers, who host the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
NOTES: The Brewers called up 1B Andy Wilkins from Triple-A Colorado Springs and sent down RHP Zach Davies, who started Tuesday. That gives the Brewers another bench player before the All-Star break, and manager Craig Counsell said Davies is set to start the third game after the break. ... Brewers RHP Jimmy Nelson (5-7, 3.56 ERA) will pitch at St. Louis on Friday against RHP Michael Wacha (5-7, 4.38). ... Washington RHP Lucas Giolito (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will face Mets RHP Bartolo Colon (7-4, 2.87) on Thursday in New York in the first of a four-game series. "That is big," Washington manager Dusty Baker said of the series. "I always want to go into the All-Star break hot and come out hot." ... Brewers hitting coach Darnell Coles is a former instructor in the Washington minor league system and was a minor league manager with the Nationals in 2008 at Single-A Hagerstown in the South Atlantic League. ... Washington SS Danny Espinosa entered Wednesday's tilt having gone 14-for-33 (.424) with five homers and 17 RBIs in his last nine games. ... Milwaukee SS Jonathan Villar entered play with an MLB-best 27 steals.