The Washington Nationals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Wild Card game on Tuesday night after scoring three runs off of Brewers closer Josh Hader in the eighth inning:

It did not take long for the Milwaukee Brewers to score against Nationals starter Max Scherzer… just two batters in fact.

After Scherzer walked Trent Grisham to begin the game, Brewers catcher Yasmani Grandal turned on the first pitch he saw and clubbed a two-run homer into the bullpen in right field. Just one inning later, Eric Thames sent a hanging slider into the bleachers to give the Brewers a 3-0 lead.

Although Nationals shortstop Trea Turner would homer in the bottom of the third to cut the deficit to two, Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff was keeping Washington in check. Woodruff was making just his third appearance since coming off the Injured List, and despite almost exclusively throwing the fastball he had a ton of success inducing weak contact.

The Nationals had another chance in the fifth inning after Milwaukee third baseman Mike Moustakas made a throwing error, but Brewers lefty Brent Suter got Turner to fly out to center, ending the threat.

From there, the game became a battle of the bullpens. The Nationals deployed Stephen Strasburg in the sixth, and the former No. 1 overall pick would throw three scoreless innings. On the other side, Brewers lefty Drew Pomeranz–who was acquired at the trade deadline–tossed a pair of scoreless frames.

Brewers manager would Hader into the game in the eighth for a two-inning save. After striking out Victor Robles and Turner and hitting Michael A. Taylor with a pitch, Hader needed just one out to send Milwaukee to the NLDS.

But Nationals veteran Ryan Zimmerman notched a broken-bat single and Anthony Rendon drew a walk, loading the bases for 20-year-old phenom Juan Soto.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Dodgers Nationals prediction

Jake Faigus ·

Brewers Pirates prediction

RB Hayek ·

Brewers Pirates prediction

Jake Faigus ·

Soto ripped a line drive to right field on the third pitch of the at-bat, and a misplay by Grisham in the outfield allowed all three runs to score, giving the Nationals a 4-3 lead:

Nationals right-hander Daniel Hudson recorded the save in the top of the ninth, capping an incredible come-from-behind victory and setting up a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers.