Tag Archives: Nationals offense

Pitching matchup – game 138

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Last night – in a game where stellar play from Jordan Zimmermann and Kurt Suzuki was overshadowed by two bench-clearing, bullpen-emptying altercations – the Washington Nationals (85-52) completed a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs. More than enough has already been said about the evening, including this adrenal-gland-inciting quote from Nationals reliever Michael Gonzalez. As such, I must move on to tonight’s three-game series opener with the Miami Marlins (61-77), a game that will almost assuredly garner more attention than last night’s.

Tonight, Jacob Turner and the Marlins are in town to take on Stephen Strasburg and the league-best Nationals in what will be Strasburg’s penultimate start of the season and his final at home. To predict the atmosphere at Nationals Park will be buzzing would be foolhardy. It should be nothing short of electric. Continue reading →

Pitching matchup – game 137

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For the second time in as many nights, the Washington Nationals (84-52) hit six home runs, securing their place alongside the 1996 Los Angeles Dodgers and the 2003 Anaheim Angels as the only teams to accomplish such a feat. It also placed them in a position to try for a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs (51-85) tonight at Nationals Park. If the Nationals, who have outscored the Cubs in the series by a margin of 22-7, hope to sweep the series, they will have to beat right-handed veteran Justin Germano. The Nationals will send right-hander Jordan Zimmermann to the mound, who hopes to not only shed himself of a nearly month-long slump, but also beat the Cubs for the first time in his career. Continue reading →

Nationals’ offense looks to shut down talks of Strasburg’s shutdown

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In case you are unaware, the Washington Nationals currently hold the best record in baseball at 84-52. They are also leading the Atlanta Braves in the National League East by 7 1/2 games – their largest lead of the season. Oh, and each and every subsequent win will result in a new high-water mark for the franchise since relocating to the district in 2005.

Of course, I cannot exactly fault you if these notes come as a surprise. After all, right-hander Stephen Strasburg is due to be shut down in just under a week’s time. That is what is important, right? ESPN and the rest of the national media certainly think so. Is it possible that they are wrong in heaping all of their attention on Strasburg while virtually ignoring what the team as a whole has accomplished? I would not think so, but Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo does. He discussed his thoughts yesterday morning when he joined Holden & Danny for his weekly segment, the “Mike Rizzo Show,” on 106.7 The Fan. Continue reading →

Offensive production is coming from an unlikely source for the Nationals

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The Washington Nationals, now 83-52, have made discussion of their pitching staff very easy this year. If you want to discuss the Nationals pitching staff, you simply mention how well they have pitched, pepper in some league leading stats, rattle off a few tired comments regarding Stephen Strasburg’s innings limit and move on.

After last night’s victory over the Chicago Cubs, the Nationals hold a National League leading 3.28 ERA, second only to the Tampa Bay Rays in the majors. It does not hurt that they also lead the NL in hits allowed with 1,062 – second overall to the Rays – and lead all of baseball in runs allowed (483) and home runs allowed (103). When it comes to strikeouts, they come in a pathetic fifth overall with 1,111 – 195 of which can be credited to Strasburg.

In fact, for a while, the Nationals pitching staff was performing so well that it was hard to discuss anything else. That is, until the offense caught fire and inserted itself into the picture.

Prior to the All-Star break, the Nationals ranked eighth in the NL and 14th overall in batting with a .251 average. They ranked even lower in on-base percentage with a .314 OBP, 11th in the NL and 21st overall. Since then, the team has upped their batting average to .278 (fourth overall) with an on-base percentage of .331 (eighth overall) and 61 home runs (ninth overall).

These days, it is hard to talk about the Nationals offense without mentioning seemingly routine games like last night’s, which saw 11 runs scored on 19 hits – six of which were home runs. It has been, however, easy to discuss the Nationals offense without mentioning their catchers, who have, until recently, lacked production at the plate. Continue reading →

Talking Nats’ bats

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Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler are the names of the five men that currently make up the Washington Nationals’ pitching rotation – a rotation that has led the team to the best record in all of baseball at 69-43.

With that caliber of pitching, it should come as no surprise that on August 10, with just 50 games remaining on the Nationals’ regular-season schedule, their pitching staff leads most others in many categories. Where they do not lead, they are not far behind.

Here are some of the categories in which the Nationals’ pitching staff ranks first: ERA (3.23), quality starts (73), earned runs allowed (367), runs allowed (395) and opponents’ batting average (.232).  They rank second in saves with 38 and third in strikeouts with 927.

For those who prefer the less-than-traditional stats, the Nationals rank first in FIP (3.53), first in BABIP (.277), second in left on base percentage (76.3 percent) and fourth in WAR (15.4).

Considering the fact that the pitching staff has been building those numbers consistently since opening day, it is not surprising at all to see the team in first place. What is surprising, however, is the fact that a Nationals batting order that has been unhealthy since day one has grown more and more potent as the season progresses. Continue reading →