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Nationals-Brewers Preview

Jul 28, 2009 - 6:17 AM By CHRIS ALTRUDA STATS Editor

Washington (31-68) at Milwaukee (49-50), 8:05 p.m. EDT

Despite having the worst record in baseball, the Washington Nationals are playing like they have more on the line than the Milwaukee Brewers.

The teams continue a four-game series Tuesday at Miller Park, where the Nationals will try to match a season high with their fourth straight victory while the struggling Brewers attempt to get back to the .500 mark.

The Nationals (31-68) are 5-7 since interim manager Jim Riggleman replaced the fired Manny Acta at the All-Star break. After scoring 13 runs just once in its first 96 games, Washington has done so twice in the last three contests, including a 14-6 rout Monday as Josh Willingham became the 13th player in major league history to hit two grand slams in a game.

"I didn't know that 13 was the number, but I knew it was a rare feat and I was thinking about it," said Willingham, who also matched a franchise record with eight RBIs.

Willingham is 10 for 23 with four homers, eight extra-base hits and 12 RBIs in his last six games. In 15 games against the Brewers, he is a .328 lifetime hitter.

While the Nationals appear to be righting themselves for the first time this season, the Brewers (49-50) are scuffling through July. They are 7-15 with a 5.44 ERA this month and have dropped into fourth in the NL Central after starting July with a two-game lead in the division.

"The fans are getting a little restless and I don't blame them," said Brewers manager Ken Macha after his team allowed at least seven runs for the ninth time in July. "We can't continue to have to get four innings from the bullpen every night."

One of the mainstays of the bullpen, Carlos Villanueva (2-7, 6.18 ERA), has the challenging task of carrying the Brewers deep into the game in his first start this season after 43 relief appearances. While he made nine starts last year, the right-hander has not pitched more than three innings in any outing in 2009.

Villanueva took the loss in his most recent appearance Friday, giving up one run in one inning of a 9-4 defeat to Atlanta. He is, however, 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA in five lifetime relief appearances against the Nationals, striking out 15 in 12 1-3 innings.

Miller Park's retractable roof means Collin Balester (0-1, 6.00) won't have to worry about rain cutting this start short. The 23-year-old was saddled with the loss Thursday against St. Louis after allowing three runs in three-plus innings of a 4-1 defeat that was shortened to 6 1/2 innings.

Balester threw 54 pitches before Riggleman opted not to bring him back to the mound after a 76-minute rain delay in the fourth.

"For a guy like that, an hour (delay) is pretty long. ... He's a young guy, we're where we are at in the standings and we're going to be conservative," Riggleman said about protecting the young right-hander.

Balester lost his only career start against the Brewers last year.