Nasim Nunez had a pair of RBI singles and the Washington Nationals avoided a three-game sweep with a 3-2 win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon.
CJ Abrams had two infield singles and scored twice for the Nationals, who had won four of five before getting outscored 10-2 in the first two games against the Brewers.
Brandon Lockridge had two of the four hits for the Brewers, who had won three in a row.
Milwaukee recalled right-hander Logan Henderson from Triple-A Nashville to start the series finale and he retired the first 12 batters.
Lockridge beat out a bunt single up the third-base line to start the fifth and scored on a sacrifice fly to deep center by No. 9 hitter Joey Ortiz for a 1-0 lead.
The Nationals finally got to Henderson in their half of the fifth. Abrams led off with a hard grounder up the first-base line. Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers made a diving stop, but Henderson slipped on the mound as he broke to cover first and did not get there in time for a throw.
Abrams stole second with one out and then scored on a soft single to center by Nunez to tie it 1-1. Jose Tena then drove a two-strike cutter into the right-center gap for a triple that scored Nunez for a 2-1 lead.
Henderson (0-1) allowed two runs and three hits over six innings, striking out eight without a walk.
Abrams beat out another infield single to start the seventh. A balk moved him to second and a groundout put him on third before Nunez grounded a single through the left side of the drawn-in infield to stretch the lead to 3-1.
PJ Poulin started for the Nationals and threw two shutout innings, allowing one hit with a walk and two strikeouts. Zack Littell (1-4) took over and allowed one run and one hit over 3 2/3 innings.
Mitchell Parker followed with two innings of hitless relief before Gus Varland got the final out of the eighth and the first of the ninth.
Gary Sanchez then reached first when his fly ball to right got lost in the sun by James Wood. Richard Lovelady entered and gave up a single followed by Garrett Mitchell’s RBI groundout that cut the lead to 3-2, but Lovelady struck out Lockridge for his first save of the year.
Milwaukee second baseman Brice Turang was a late scratch because of illness.
Nationals first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. was removed in the top of the sixth due to right wrist soreness.
