Nationals Rally Late to Stun Brewers; Ruiz’s Clutch Single Seals It

The Washington Nationals came to Milwaukee on Sunday and did exactly what good teams do when facing elimination in a series: they found a way to win a slugfest that had no business being won by a visiting team trailing in the late innings. The Nationals defeated the Brewers 8-6 at American Family Field in a game that featured more drama, more homers, and more reasons for Pat Murphy to feel genuinely frustrated than any contest deserves to contain in a single afternoon.

Let’s be clear about what happened here. The Brewers had every opportunity to put this game away. They had leads at multiple junctures. Brice Turang, their shortstop, launched two bombs and looked like he was personally going to carry Milwaukee to victory. Gary Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the seventh that seemed to ice things. But baseball, in its infinite cruelty, occasionally rewards the team that refuses to quit, and the Nationals simply would not die.

Turang Carries Milwaukee Through Six Innings

Brice Turang was the star of the first half of this game, and it wasn’t even close. The Brewers’ shortstop homered twice, driving in two runs and looking absolutely dialed in at the plate. His 433-foot blast in the fifth inning was the kind of no-doubter that usually quiets opposing benches. Turang’s performance should have been enough. It absolutely should have been.

The Brewers’ supporting cast chipped in too. Jake Bauers homered in the fourth to extend their lead, and when Gary Sanchez connected for a three-run shot in the seventh, it looked like Milwaukee had finally put enough distance between themselves and Washington to secure victory. The Brewers led 6-4 heading into the eighth inning, and Angel Zerpa took the mound with what should have been a manageable situation.

It wasn’t.

Washington’s Eighth-Inning Uprising Ruins Milwaukee’s Day

This is where the Nationals showed their teeth. PJ Poulin took the win with a brief appearance, but the real story was what happened when Gus Varland took over in relief. The Nationals’ offense, which had been scratching and clawing all afternoon against a deep Brewers bullpen, finally broke through when it mattered most. Keibert Ruiz, a catcher who isn’t paid to deliver go-ahead hits in clutch situations, absolutely delivered one with a two-run single that put Washington ahead 8-6. That’s baseball, folks. That’s the heartbreak that keeps managers up at night.

James Wood’s early solo homer gave Washington an early foothold, and Curtis Mead’s go-ahead single in the seventh kept the Nationals breathing. But it was Ruiz’s eighth-inning heroics that proved decisive. Varland then shut the door with a scoreless ninth, earning his first Major League save in the process.

The Brewers had their chances. They had their moments. Turang’s defense was stellar, Bauers made a nice grab, and Sanchez’s three-run shot should have been the knockout punch. Instead, they’re leaving this game with a loss that stings because they simply couldn’t close it out. In a 162-game season, these are the ones that sting the longest.