Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Junior Guerra throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Monday, July 4, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON -- Junior Guerra outdueled Max Scherzer, Martin Maldonado homered, and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Washington Nationals 1-0 on Monday, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Guerra (6-1) allowed two hits in 7 1/3 innings, while striking out seven and walking two. The 31-year-old rookie threw eight scoreless innings of two-hit ball in his previous start and has won three straight.
Maldonado gave the Brewers the lead in the fifth when he sent a 2-1 Scherzer pitch over the visitor's bullpen for his third homer of the season.
Jeremy Jeffress pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.
Scherzer (9-6) threw 114 pitches in six innings. He gave up a run and four hits, while striking out seven and walking three.
One day after pounding six homers in a 12-1 win against the Reds, Washington hitters were stifled by Guerra. In one stretch, he retired 12 straight before Jayson Werth singled with two outs in the sixth. Then, with runners on second and third after a walk and a wild pitch, Guerra struck out Wilson Ramos.
Shortstop Jonathan Villar made a sliding catch of Ben Revere's pop fly along the left-field foul line to end the eighth.
Scherzer, who's allowed a league-high 21 homers, hasn't pitched more than six innings in three of his last four starts.
Fans were still settling in for the traditional 11:05 a.m. July 4 game when the Brewers lost a hit for batting out of order in the first. After No. 3 hitter Ryan Braun's two-out single, Nationals manager Dusty Baker visited home plate umpire Cory Blaser.
Ultimately, Jonathan Lucroy, who was listed third on the lineup card given to the umpires before the game, was charged with an at-bat and an out. Braun, who does usually bat third, hit fourth and led off the second inning.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Brewers: 1B Chris Carter, 1 for 11 with seven strikeouts vs. Scherzer, was not in the starting lineup.
Nationals: RHP Jonathan Papelbon (right rib muscle strain) returned from the 15-day DL and pitched a scoreless ninth. . Baker kept a `banged-up' 2B Daniel Murphy out of the lineup, but Murphy flied out as pinch hitter in the eighth. . Baker said RHP Joe Ross' trip to the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation was mainly precautionary, and that if this was late in the season Ross could have pitched.
UP NEXT:
Brewers: RHP Zach Davis (5-4, 4.22) allowed six runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings in his last outing, but had gone 5-0 with a 2.64 ERA over his 10 prior starts.
Nationals: LHP Gio Gonzalez (4-7, 4.81) allowed six runs on six hits in a June 25 loss at Milwaukee. He's given up three or more earned runs in his last eight starts.
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