MILWAUKEE -- Nationals starter Mitchell Parker has struggled mightily in the first inning of his starts this season. On Friday night against the Brewers in the first of a three-game series before entering the All-Star break, the opening frame wasn’t his issue.
Parker entered the game with an 8.50 ERA (17 ER/18 IP) and a .321 opponents' average in the first inning of his previous 18 starts. After surrendering a leadoff single to Sal Frelick, it looked as though it might be much of the same for Parker, but he buckled down and retired the next three Brewers batters to come out of the first unscathed.
Despite sporting a respectable 3.87 ERA from the second inning on this season, Parker (5-10) unraveled in the third when the Brewers tagged him for six runs before he recorded an out and tacked on another in fourth in the Nationals’ 8-3 loss to the Brewers at American Family Field.
“The first two innings were good and all of the sudden they were putting the barrel on the ball. It was just one bad inning,” Nationals interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “After that, he battled back.”
Parker gave up eight hits and a season-high seven runs in 4 2/3 innings. He walked three and failed to strike out a batter in the 85-pitch outing.
“I’ve got to be better,” a visibly frustrated Parker said at his locker after the game. “I’ve just got to execute better. Can’t make [bad] pitches. That’s a good team. I’ve just got to pitch better.”
Catcher Riley Adams liked what he saw from his batterymate early on.
“In the first two innings, he was throwing the ball really well with a lot of conviction,” Adams said. “We got to that third inning and I thought he was throwing some good pitches, but they were just getting some weak contact hits and strung them together and the next thing we know they’ve got six [runs] on there. I think he threw a lot better than what the box score shows. I feel for him.”
It marked the second consecutive rough outing for Parker, who gave up four earned runs on 10 hits in six innings in a loss to the Red Sox in Boston on July 5.
Parker said he’s learned a lot during the first portion of the season, but knows there is room for improvement.
“There’s obviously some big things that we need to work on,” he said. “The time between now and the next start, we’re going to look through some things and hopefully I can improve on them for the second half.”
Parker’s recent struggles come after a stretch in June in which he allowed more than three runs just once over six starts. He opened the season in fine fashion, going 3-1 with a 1.39 ERA in his first five starts. He’s won just two games since, while his ERA has steadily climbed.
Cairo gave his young starter a vote of confidence.
“He’s been pitching good,” Cairo said. “He’s just got to come back and attack the zone and make his pitches.”
The Nationals took an early lead, scoring the game’s first run on CJ Abrams’ RBI triple in the third, but Parker couldn’t make it stand up as a 1-0 lead quickly turned into a six-run deficit over the third and fourth innings.
The Nationals managed to add another run in the sixth when Josh Bell led off with a ground-rule double and scored later in the inning on Brady House’s double. Then they cut the lead to 7-3 in the seventh on Adams’ fourth homer of the season.
Adams reached base three times (walk, double, home run) in a game for the first time since July 4, 2024.
He’s getting more time behind the plate with Keibert Ruiz on the injured list.
“It felt good to try and help the team, but ultimately we came up short tonight,” Adams said.
He entered the game hitting .135 with three home runs and 10 RBIs.
“There’s certainly things we can build on. It starts with me,” Adams said. “There’s a lot of things I can do better, both at the plate and behind the plate. I’m confident I’ll be able to turn it around and get after it and get ready for the second half.”
Daylen Lile had his 16-game on-base streak snapped after going 0-for-4. The Nationals (38-56) have lost six of their last seven and have lost three of four under Cairo.