WASHINGTON -- With the demise of August waiver trades following the 2018 season -- remember the Brewers bringing home Gio Gonzalez when they were here at Nationals Park that year? -- there are only a handful of avenues to acquire players now that Tuesday’s Trade Deadline has passed.

Teams can still sign free agents. They can still make waiver claims. They can trade Minor Leaguers, provided the players are not on a Major League contract and have not spent a day in the Majors this season.

And there’s one more way: Teams can get productive players back from the injured list.

The Brewers did so in a 3-2 loss to the Nationals on Wednesday afternoon, when left-hander Wade Miley delivered four solid innings on a controlled pitch count in a game that, for eight innings, showcased Milwaukee’s pitching and defense. Then it all went sideways in the bottom of the ninth.

“I don't think we played well enough to win today,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “We did very little offensively. And then we played poor defense in the last inning. That's going to get you beat.”

Devin Williams absorbed his third blown save in 30 chances, but it was hardly his fault. Carlos Santana, a vacuum at first base since being acquired from Pittsburgh on Thursday, let Corey Dickerson’s one-hopper go through his legs to open the inning on a bad note. Dominic Smith punched a pitch above the strike zone for a single with an awkward swing. Williams added to the trouble with a walk that loaded the bases, bringing the Brewers' infielders in and bringing to the plate River Falls (Wis.) High School’s Alex Call. He hit a bouncer to third baseman Andruw Monasterio for a chance at home, but Monasterio’s wide throw allowed the tying and winning runs to score.

“They’re plays we’ve got to make,” Counsell said.

They were plays the Brewers usually do make. They lead the National League in defensive runs saved.

“It’s just tough,” Miley said. “Hopefully we can rebound from it [Thursday] against Pittsburgh and get this thing going again.”

The Brewers lost five of six games on their trip to Atlanta and Washington, but they picked up two position players in Santana and Mark Canha, and they will be joined by lefty reliever Andrew Chafin on Thursday at American Family Field. Also waiting there will be another pending addition from the IL, Brandon Woodruff, who threw 72 pitches for Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday night in what Counsell characterized as a “great” third Minor League rehab start. Woodruff hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since April 7, just before he landed on the IL with a sub-scapular strain, but he will lobby to rejoin the big-league rotation for the next start.

“I'm very encouraged,” Counsell said. “We'll get him back to Milwaukee and get some eyes on him and then see what's next.”

Getting Woodruff back would be “huge, getting a piece of that rotation back that they put together at the beginning of the year,” Miley said. “These guys have thrown the ball outstanding. It’s been fun to be a part of it, and hopefully we can get back on track and go.”

Miley’s absence wasn’t nearly as long, but his return was nonetheless welcomed. He had already missed a month from mid-May to mid-June with a lat strain, then he landed back on the IL following his July 9 win over the Reds with left elbow discomfort.

Miley characterized the matter as relatively minor, and he didn’t require a Minor League rehab assignment. He held the Nationals to one run through three efficient innings before briefly losing the strike zone in the fourth. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases with two outs. Again it was Call, and Miley struck him out to preserve a 1-1 tie.

“I was excited to get out there. Maybe a little too amped up as I got into the moment right there,” Miley said.

Of course, a multirun cushion would relieve some of that pressure. The Brewers had a chance for one in the sixth after Christian Yelich’s run-scoring double made it 2-1 with runners at second and third with no outs. William Contreras, Santana and Willy Adames, Milwaukee's No. 2-3-4 hitters, all struck out swinging against Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore. Adames was 0-for-4 in the game and 4-for-23 on the road trip, and he is 11-for-67 (.164) with 23 strikeouts since the All-Star break.

It continued a season-long struggle scoring runs. The Brewers are optimistic their recent additions will help change that, but Santana and Canha combined to go 0-for-7 on Wednesday.

“We had a big opportunity with the right guys up and we didn’t cash it in,” Counsell said.