Brewers lose again, Craig Counsell gets ejected

The venue changed but the losing did not for Milwaukee as the Brewers fell 11-5 in Washington for their seventh straight loss.

The last-place Nationals tagged starter Aaron Ashby for 13 hits and six runs over 4 2/3 innings. The damage included a 428-foot bomb from Maikel Franco in the fourth inning.

Things went from bad to worse in the sixth inning with Miguel Sanchez on the mound. The reliever served up four more runs and did it on back-to-back pitches. Josh Bell took him deep for a three-run shot and the next ball he threw got drilled by Keibert Ruiz for another homer.

In total, Washington had 19 hits, including four by Nelson Cruz. The veteran also had three RBI on the night.

Milwaukee’s offense scored at least five runs for the first time since June 2. Jace Peterson drove in three runs highlighted by a two-run homer in the second inning. Andrew McCutchen went 3-for-4, while Christian Yelich had a pair of hits out of the lead-off spot.

Washington’s Eric Fedde got the win by going 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs — three earned — and striking out four.

The seven-game losing streak is tied for the longest for the club since losing eight straight in the early part of 2015. The struggles played a role in Ron Roenicke being fired in late April of that year with Craig Counsell being hired as his replacement. Counsell did not see the end of the game Friday as he was ejected in the fifth inning for arguing about a pair of calls.

With the loss and the Cardinals winning, the Brewers dropped out of first place in the NL Central for the first time since April 23.

They’ll look to snap the streak Saturday afternoon in Washington.