Anthony Rendon doubled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning to lead the streaking Washington Nationals to their fifth straight win as they edged past the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Friday night.
In a 1-1 game, Trea Turner opened the bottom of the eighth with a walk against Junior Guerra (6-4) and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Adam Eaton.
Rendon then lashed his second double of the game, a high ball that a leaping Christian Yelich couldn't catch near the right-field wall, giving Washington its first lead.
Sean Doolittle retired Yelich, Ryan Braun and Yasmani Grandal in the ninth for his 28th save.
Rendon stroked two doubles and has 61 extra-base hits. Victor Robles' single was the Nationals' only other hit, and Turner scored both runs and stole a base.
Hunter Strickland (1-1) earned the win with a scoreless eighth.
Orlando Arcia hit his 13th homer, and Lorenzo Cain and Braun had two hits each for the Brewers, who lost for just the third time in nine games.
Milwaukee starter Adrian Houser worked a career-high seven innings and gave up one run on two hits. The right-hander retired the last 11 batters he faced.
Washington starter Patrick Corbin tossed two scoreless innings before Arcia led off the third by homering on a 93 mph low fastball, drilling the solo shot to center for a 1-0 lead.
Houser followed with a double to deep center for his first major league hit, and Cain's infield single set up the Brewers' big hitters with two on and no outs.
However, Corbin rallied by striking out Keston Hiura and Yelich -- both swinging on sliders out of the strike zone. After a walk filled the bases, he fanned Grandal on the same pitch to escape the jam.
The Nationals tied it in the bottom half when Rendon doubled in Turner, who was hit by a pitch and moved into scoring position by stealing his 26th base.
Corbin frustrated the hard-hitting Brewers, who came up short in key situations as they stranded 10 runners in the left-hander's six-inning stint.
Corbin, who has an ERA well under 2.00 at home, punctuated the start on his final pitch by striking out Hiura with two out and two on in the sixth for his eighth whiff -- all swinging at sliders.
He allowed seven hits and four walks in lowering his ERA to 3.34 in the no-decision.
--Field Level Media
