District On Deck
FanSided

Washington Nationals Reaction: Joe Ross, Bryce Harper bounce back in win over Cardinals

By Pablo Roa

May 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

After struggling over the last few weeks, Joe Ross and Bryce Harper led the Washington Nationals to a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals last night.

Over the course of a 162-game season, players are bound to struggle. Whether it’s one of the game’s best players, or a young pitching stud who has surpassed all expectations at the big league level, it’s nearly impossible for anyone to maintain a high level of play for an entire season.

Over the last few weeks, that’s exactly what we’ve seen with Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and starter Joe Ross. Both players got off to electric starts to the 2016 season, and both players have been locked in a mini-slump for most of the month of May.

More from District on Deck

It’s important to note that neither Harper nor Ross has played poorly this month. After all, Harper’s on-base percentage for the month is still hovering just below the .500 mark. As for Ross, his ERA for the season is still an impressive 2.52.

But it’s impossible to deny that the production of both players has slowed considerably during the month of May. Harper is batting just .197 this month, and last year’s NL MVP has struggled to adjust to pitchers not throwing him many strikes. Ross has also struggled, and the young right-hander was riding a four-game losing streak going into last night’s game.

Fortunately for the Nationals, and for both players, things appear to be turning around.

Ross turned in a dominant start last night, throwing seven innings of one-run ball and earning his first win since April 30. It was by far the best start of the month for Ross, who has proven to be an integral part of the rotation in his first full season as a starter.

Harper ended an 11-game home run drought with a monster, tape-measure blast in the sixth inning against Cardinals starter Mike Leake. The home run — measured by MLB’s Statcast™ at 434 feet — tied the game at 1-1 and paved the way for a go-ahead homer later in the game from Danny Espinosa, which ultimately sealed the win for the Nationals.

Despite his May struggles, few were worried about Harper’s production at the plate. The left-handed hitting slugger wasn’t likely to struggle for long, and his performance last season and in April demonstrate that once he gets hot, he can stay hot for a while.

Nevertheless, last night’s homer is a promising sign that Harper is starting to turn things around. And if both he and Ross can get back to their April levels of production, they could help the Nationals accomplish a lot more than just a 2-1 win over the Cardinals.

Home/Nationals News