Brewers: Domingo Santana homers in memorable Crew debut
By Phil Watson
Acquired from the Houston Astros in the deal that sent Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers to Houston on July 30, Domingo Santana had a memorable debut for the Milwaukee Brewers Friday night with a two-run homer in the Crew’s 10-3 rout of the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.
The Brewers (53-70) got to left-hander Gio Gonzalez for five runs in five innings and then put the game away with a five-run outburst in the seventh.
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Already up 2-1, Milwaukee stretched the lead against Gonzalez (9-6) in the fifth. Jonathan Lucroy led off with an infield single—a liner that deflected off Gonzalez toward third base. Gonzalez was checked out and stayed in the game, getting a lineout to right before Adam Lind doubled sharply to left field.
Khris Davis drove in Lucroy with a sacrifice fly before Santana’s laser beam over the wall in left field made it a 5-1 Brewers lead.
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“I mean, this feels very nice,” Santana told MLB.com. “I feel outstanding. I was just trying to look for a mistake, you know? And he finally gave up a mistake.”
Santana’s third homer of the season—he hit two in a two-week stint with the Astros from the middle of June until early July—came on the ninth pitch of an epic at-bat against the former All-Star lefty. Santana fouled off two fastballs with two strikes, looked at a curveball that filled the count, spoiled a changeup and then drilled a fastball for the homer.
“A lot of good things happening for me,” Santana said. “I’m really fortunate and really looking forward to it.”
Santana was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs earlier in the day to take the roster spot opened when right-hander Tyler Cravy was placed on the disabled list Wednesday night.
Washington (60-61) fell five games behind the New York Mets in the National League East with the loss.
The Nationals got on the board first, scoring a run in the second inning off Jimmy Nelson (10-9) on an RBI single by Jose Lobaton.
The Brewers took the lead in the third. Jean Segura singled with one out and stole second—his 20th theft on the year—before Lucroy doubled to left to tie the game. A passed ball by Lobaton moved Lucroy to third and Ryan Braun scored the run with a sacrifice fly to right.
Bryce Harper homered, his 31st of the year, with one out in the sixth for the Nationals and after Danny Espinosa singled, that ended Nelson’s night. He allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in a laborious 5.1 innings, throwing 102 pitches.
Left-hander Neal Cotts struck out the only batter he faced before Corey Knebel came on to record a strikeout to end the inning.
Kyle Lohse worked the final three innings, walking two and striking out four while allowing Michael Taylor’s solo homer in the seventh, Taylor’s 12th of the year.
Lohse was credited with his first career save in his 445th major-league appearance. To be fair, it was just the 29th time he has worked in relief in 15 big-league seasons.
“I didn’t even think about it until Luc {Lucroy] said something about it after the last out,” Lohse told MLB.com. “It was pretty cool. It’s a stat I had a zero in for all these years. I finally put a one in there. Now I just need a homer and a triple and a stolen base.”
The Brewers broke the game open in the seventh against right-hander Doug Fister, working in relief. Braun walked and Lind and Davis had singles to load the bases. Scooter Gennett, pinch-hitting for Hernan Perez, reached on an infield single that Fister deflected to make it a 6-2 ballgame.
Right-hander Tanner Roark came on in relief and gave up a single to Elian Herrera that rotated everyone up a base and made it 7-2. Shane Peterson then reached on catcher’s interference by Lobaton and Segura plated a run with a sacrifice fly. A second run scored when Harper’s throw from right field was off target.
Every Milwaukee starter—including Nelson—had at least one hit. Lucroy was 3-for-5, while Lind and Herrera each went 2-for-4 to lead the Brewers’ 14-hit onslaught.
It was the Brewers’ ninth game this season with at least 10 runs, their first since scoring 10 against the San Diego Padres on Aug. 6.
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Rookie right-handers square off Saturday at 6:05 p.m. Central, when Taylor Jungmann (7-4, 2.23 ERA) takes the ball for Milwaukee and Joe Ross (3-5, 3.86) starts for the Nationals.
Jungmann lost his only start against Washington in his second big-league outing, allowing two runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts in five innings on June 14.
He pitched 6.1 shutout innings in his last start on Sunday in a 6-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Miller Park, surrendering just three hits and two walks while striking out a career-high nine.
Ross beat the Brewers in his first start against them on June 13 at Miller Park, allowing two runs on seven hits in eight innings with a walk and eight strikeouts.
He has lost his last two starts, however, including Sunday at San Francisco, when he allowed four runs on six hits in four innings of a 5-0 loss to the Giants, walking one and striking out six.
Next: Cravy To DL, Crew To Go With 4-Man Rotation