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Brewers, Nationals continue series in DC

Jul 19, 2014 - 2:33 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - After losing seven straight games just prior to the All- Star break, the Milwaukee Brewers have put together back-to-back victories and are still on top of the NL Central.

The Brewers hold a one-game edge on St. Louis headed into Saturday's game against the Washington Nationals.

Matt Garza, who has pitched at least six innings in each of his last 11 starts, takes the mound for the Brewers. The right-hander is coming off a tough loss to the Phillies on July 10. Garza took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, only to have it broken up by a Jimmy Rollins single. The Phillies scored seven times in the eighth and twice in the ninth to win 9-1. Garza departed after surrendering three hits and a pair of runs over 7 2/3 innings.

Garza has gone 2-0 over his last four road starts and hasn't lost outside Milwaukee since May 17 at Wrigley Field.

Garza is 0-2 with a 5.74 ERA in five career starts versus Washington. That includes a 3-0 loss at Miller Park on June 23 this year when he gave up three runs in seven innings.

Tanner Roark, who has never faced the Brewers, comes into tonight's contest off a 10-3 win at Philadelphia on Sunday. Roark allowed four hits and a run over seven innings. He's 5-2 over his last seven starts.

Last night, Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis smacked solo homers as the Brewers earned a 4-2 win.

Kyle Lohse (10-4) allowed a run on 10 hits over seven innings for the Brewers, who had dropped 11-of-13 heading into the All-Star break.

"We weren't going good for a while," Gennett said. "The second half, it's a fresh start and we're just going to try and play some good baseball and put some wins together."

Jean Segura was back in the lineup for the NL Central leaders after missing the two games before the break following the death of his nine-month-old son. He went 1-for-4.

Stephen Strasburg (7-7) struck out nine, but surrendered four runs on seven hits and a walk over seven frames for Washington, which went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.

Bryce Harper homered in defeat.

"I'm just trying to do something a little different. It felt good," Harper said. "I just relaxed a little bit."

The Nationals won two of three in Milwaukee from June 23-25.