Santana debuts as Brewer with home run, Crew wins 10-3

Gio Gonzalez certainly seems to prefer the mound at Nationals Park, and he’ll look to bounce back from one of the worst starts of his career when he faces the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.

Jonathan Lucroy had three hits and drove in a run, and rookie Jimmy Nelson (10-9) allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings against Washington to help Milwaukee to its fifth in in seven games.

Michael A. Taylor hit a two-run homer for Washington, which likely would need to win the East to make the playoffs. Starter Gio Gonzalez gave up five runs on eight hits and a pair of free passes through five innings to absorb the loss. Khris Davis has heated up a little of late, but since Santana was primarily playing left field (14 starts) with Colorado Springs, that should be where he gets the bulk of his starts. “They’re trying to get it in on you so you can’t drive something into the outfield”. Washington promoted INF Trea Turner from Triple-A Syracuse Friday; Turner, who grounded out as a pinch-hitter Friday in his debut, hit. Turner went 0-for-2, including a game-ending groundout. In his last 29 games (since July 20), he’s 33-for-109 with four doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 21 RBIs, 11 walks and five stolen bases. Manager Matt Williams said after the game Escobar had a hyperextended neck and is day-to-day…. In the seventh inning, the Brewers scored five runs and two were unearned because of a catcher’s interference called against Lobaton and a throwing error by Harper.

The Washington Nationals began to pull themselves out of a long slump against one last-place team and will try to pick on another when they return home for the start of a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday.

“I was confident he was going to bounce back”, manager Craig Counsell told MLB’s official website.

Milwaukee has called up Domingo Santana from Triple-A three weeks after acquiring the 22-year-old corner outfielder from Houston in the Carlos Gomez/Mike Fiers trade. Fister struck out Santana with the bases full for the first out, but Gennett fouled off some tough pitches before lining an RBI single off Fister to set up the big inning. Santana hit two homers earlier this year with Houston.

Reliever Neal Cotts worked a third of an inning, and was traded to the Twins after the game for cash considerations and a player to be named later.