Brewers fall to Nationals, Peralta exits with shoulder tightness

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MAY 22: Manager Craig Counsell #30 of the Milwaukee Brewers walks with Freddy Peralta #51 as he leaves the game during the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at American Family Field on May 22, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wi

Lane Thomas hit two RBI doubles and the Washington Nationals broke out of their hitting slump Sunday in an 8-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, who lost Freddy Peralta to shoulder tightness in the fourth inning.

Peralta (3-2) left after allowing a run-scoring double to Thomas during the Nationals’ six-run outburst in the fourth inning. That marked the Nationals’ highest-scoring inning of the season and matched the biggest run total the Brewers had allowed in a single inning this year.

The Nationals entered the day having dropped seven of their past nine, and they had scored a total of six runs in the seven losses. But they had an early 8-0 lead Sunday and cruised to the win.

Milwaukee didn’t retire anyone in the fourth until Nelson Cruz – the eighth batter of the inning – got thrown out trying to stretch a bloop single down the right-field line into a double. The Nationals first eight batters of the inning all got hits, tying a Washington franchise record for consecutive plate appearances with a hit.

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The Nationals led 3-0 and had runners on second and third when Peralta's injury forced his departure. Peralta, a 2021 All-Star, entered the day having allowed just one run over 12 2/3 innings in his previous two starts.

Dee Strange-Gordon and César Hernández greeted reliever Brent Suter with consecutive RBI bunt singles to make it 5-0. That was the first time the Nationals have produced bunt RBIs in consecutive at-bats, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Keibert Ruiz followed with an RBI double before Juan Soto hit a two-run single through a drawn-in infield.

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Nationals manager Dave Martinez had altered his lineup Sunday by moving Soto from second to third and moving Ruiz into the No. 2 spot. Ruiz had gone 8 of 16 in his past five games going into Sunday, while Soto was 2 of 20 over his past six games.

Washington wasted little time getting its offense going.

The Nationals took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Maikel Franco reached on a two-out infield hit and came home on Thomas’ double to right. They extended the lead to 2-0 in the third as Cruz hit a two-out single to drive in Hernández.

Milwaukee got a solo homer from Tyrone Taylor and an RBI single by Andrew McCutchen in the fifth.

Nationals starter Aaron Sanchez (3-3) struck out one and gave up seven hits, two runs and two walks in five innings.