Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Even With Injuries, Nats Offense Delivers For Max Scherzer

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Jun 26, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into last night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Washington Nationals starting lineup was a matter of who actually wasn’t in it instead of who was in it. Among the notable absences were Bryce Harper (leg cramp), Anthony Rendon (on 15-day DL due to quad injury), and Denard Span (scratched due to back spasms). Add that to Ryan Zimmerman still being on the disabled list and that is four regulars out of the lineup.

Then, the situation got worse. In the top of the first inning, Yunel Escobar was hit by a 0-2 pitch by Aaron Harang in the hand and had to leave the game. So, over half of the regular starters were out before Max Scherzer took the mound. Even with that being the case, the Nats found a way to get a run on the board early. Plus, one run is good enough with the way Scherzer has been pitching.

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Last night, Scherzer had a chance to be the first pitcher since 1938 to throw back-to-back no-hitters. He didn’t get it, but he took a perfect game into the sixth inning for the third straight outing. Even though the perfect game and 47.1 inning shutout streak by the Nats starters ended, Scherzer was able to give the team eight innings, despite looking fatigued, and got the job done.

Plus, the Nationals got some help from the bullpen as Drew Storen picked up his 22^nd save in 24 chances. In addition, the Nats took advantage of some Phillies’ errors in the field and on the bases by Domonic Brown. That was something Phillies’ new interim manager Pete Mackanin didn’t want to see in his first game replacing Ryne Sanberg, who resigned before yesterday’s game

Before Gio Gonzalez takes the mound at 3:05 PM ET as he looks to secure the Nats’ eighth straight win, here are my takeaways from last night’s 5-2 win.

Next: Max Scherzer Strong Again

Jun 26, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) catches an infield pop up in front of second baseman Dan Uggla (26) and first baseman Tyler Moore (12) against the Philadelphia Phillies during the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Scherzer Strong Once Again

He wasn’t perfect, but with the way Max Scherzer has been pitching lately, anything less than a one-hitter seems less than stellar. Normally, it takes Scherzer a few innings to get that fastball up to 96-97 miles per hour. Last night, the fastball was reaching that point in the early innings. His average velocity on his heater was 95.7 miles per hour, according to Brooks Baseball.

All in all, Scherzer went eight innings, gave up two runs on five hits, struck out seven batters, and walked one. In his last three starts, he has a ERA of 0.69 in 26 innings of work, has struck out 33 batters, and walked only one. Every time he takes the mound, you get the sense that history can happen on that particular day. Plus, even with a lineup without most of its regulars, they still have to feel that if they could put together one big inning, that’s enough for their ace to get them the win.

While the 30-year-old ace didn’t rack up the strikeouts last night, he did a great job of taking advantage of the Phillies being aggressive and swinging early in the count. He kept his pitch count down for the first five innings, but you can sense he was starting to feel the effects of back-to-back complete games after the seventh inning.

Nevertheless, Scherzer went out to pitch the eighth inning after a 28 pitch seventh inning, even in a 5-1 game. While he did give up a home run to Ben Revere during the inning, he threw seven pitches in the eighth and six of them were for strikes. With the Nats bench depleted, Scherzer got the job done and paved the way to get it to Drew Storen and gave the rest of the bullpen a night off.

Plus, he was able to contribute in other areas of the game. He led off the fifth inning with a base hit, stole second on a wild pitch by Aaron Harang, and would tag up from third on a fly ball to center field by Danny Espinosa to put the Nationals up 2-0 at the time.

Next: den Dekker Steps Up In Rare Starting Role

Jun 25, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Matt den Dekker (21) hits an RBI single against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning at Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals won 7 – 0. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

den Dekker Delivers At Bottom Of The Order

With about an hour till game time, Denard Span was scratched from the lineup due to back spasms. That moved Michael Taylor to center field, Clint Robinson to left field, and Matt den Dekker into right field. den Dekker, who was playing in his tenth game of the season, had a pinch-hit RBI in the Nats’ 7-0 win over the Braves on Thursday.

Last night, den Dekker came up in the top of the sixth inning and helped give the Nationals a commanding lead. He took a 0-1 changeup from Harang and hit it into the seats in center field for his first home run of the season and the second home run of his career to give Washington a 5-0 lead.

Even though the 27-year-old only went 1-for-4 in last night’s game, he was able to move the runner over in his first at-bat of the game In the second, he moved Tyler Moore to second base on a ground out to second.

When the Nationals acquired den Dekker from the Mets back in March for reliever Jerry Blevins, the team valued his versatility in terms of being able to play all three outfield positions.

den Dekker was one of a few players last night who contributed when giving the chance to get more than one at-bat. Tyler Moore got the start at first base and went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Clint Robinson, who moved from right field to left field, went 1-for-4, and Michael Taylor, who was moved up to the leadoff spot, led off the game with a double and scored the game’s first run en route to a 2-for-5 night.

The Nationals didn’t have a night filled with home runs, but they were able to score runs with small ball. It started in the first inning when Wilson Ramos was able to leg out an infield single to put the Nats in front, Now, he may have got help from umpire Jerry Meals being in the way of Cesar Hernandez at second base, but it goes as a hit in the box score.

Moore, Robinson, and Taylor are three players who have gotten the chance to play every day with the injuries to the Nationals’ lineup. It’s good to see them take advantage of their opportunity and being that “next man up” to help the Nats stay on this seven game win streak.

Next: Nats Capitalizing On Opposition's Mistakes

Jun 26, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Domonic Brown (9) commits an error against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Nats Take Advantage Of Phillies Mistakes

Early in the season, it was the Nationals who were causing their pitchers to get extra outs and making mistakes on the bases that led to losses. Last night, the role reversed and the Nationals were the ones taking advantage of the other team’s mistakes.

The key mistake I want to focus on came in the top of the fifth inning. With the Nationals up 2-0, they had runners on first and second with Wilson Ramos at the plate. Ramos hit a line drive to right against Aaron Harang that looked to end the inning, but Domonic Brown dropped the ball and didn’t exactly hustle to field it, which drew boos from the Philadelphia crowd. This gave the Nats a 3-0 lead and any extra runs for Max Scherzer are always good.

Then, in the bottom of the ninth, it was the Phillies who decided to hand the Nats that final out when they had a chance to possibly tie it. With a man on second and two outs, Cody Asche hit a base hit to center and it appeared Philadelphia would was going to send the tying run at the plate. Not so fast.

Michael Taylor got the ball in quickly and the Nats were able to catch Domonic Brown in a rundown to end the game. For Brown, who has had a tough season (.179, 0 HR, 3 RBI’s), that is not the way you want to play in front of your new manager, Pete Mackanin. In the end, the Nats got the win and were able to take advantage of the opposition’s mistakes when it mattered the most.

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