Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Clint Robinson Saves The Day For Nats Offense
Jul 3, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jake Peavy (22) reacts after giving up a two run homer to Washington Nationals first baseman Clint Robinson (left) during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals won 2 – 1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
While the Washington Nationals offense has hit a slump as of late, they were able to get the timely hit against the San Francisco Giants last night. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning, it was Clint Robinson who played the role of hero with a two-run homer against Jake Peavy that ultimately gave the Nationals the victory.
Even though last night’s win was far from a playoff game, it was a nice way to make a statement against the team that knocked the Nats out of the playoffs in the NLDS a season ago. In last year’s series, three of the four games had a one run margin.
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It was unknown how the starting pitchers would fare in this game. Jake Peavy and Gio Gonzalez were coming into last night’s game with some area of rust. Peavy hadn’t pitched in the Majors since April 17 because of a back strain and GIo Gonzalez had his last start cancelled because of rain after only one inning.
That being said, both pitchers did a good job against the opposing lineups and taking advantage of their aggressive approaches at the plate. Both starters made a mistake, but it was Peavy’s mistake that cost the Giants the game. With the win last night, the Nationals have now won seven straight home games and they are 23-14 at Nats Park this season (21-22 on the road).
Before the Nationals and Giants start their 11:05 AM ET game, let’s take a look at some of my takeaways from last night’s 2-1 win:
Next: Gio Keeps Composure Against Giants
Jul 3, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez (47) throws a pitch to the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning at Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals won 2 – 1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Gonzalez Keeps Composure Over Seven Strong Innings
It was unknown as to how Gio Gonzalez would fare last night after not finishing a start since June 21 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Early on, the San Francisco Giants had their chances. They had a leadoff single in each of the first three innings. However, Gonzalez was able to get himself out of trouble by inducing ground ball outs at the right time.
After a double play call was overturned in the first inning, Gonzalez would get Brandon Crawford to ground into a 6-4-3 double play after a leadoff single by catcher Andrew Susac. One of the things Gonzalez did well in this ball game was his ability to throw first pitch strikes. Out of the 25 batters he faced, 16 of them saw a first pitch strikes. You can partially say that San Francisco had that 11:00 AM start time in the back of their minds, but Gonzalez was able to pitch to contact and allow his defense to make plays.
The only mistake that the left-hander made in this game occurred in the top of the seventh inning. On the first pitch of the inning, Buster Posey, who has been red hot at the plate, took a two-seam fastball over the wall in dead center field for a solo shot.
Despite that mistake, Gonzalez was able to get the win. He went seven innings, gave up one run on five hits, and struck out six. The most important stat was that he did not walk a batter in this game on 82 pitches. It was the first time all season that Gonzalez did not walk a batter in a ball game.
Next: Robinson Comes Through In 7th Inning
Jul 3, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Clint Robinson (25) is congratulated by right fielder Bryce Harper (34) after hitting a two run homer against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals won
2-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Robinson Finally Makes Peavy Pay
All night long, the Nats had trouble taking advantage of their opportunities to score against Jake Peavy. Even though the Giants right-hander walked four batters in the game, the Nats were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and only had one extra base hit until the seventh. That hit was a two out double by Yunel Escobar in the bottom of the first.
Then, in the bottom of the seventh, with the Giants up 1-0, Jake Peavy did go after Bryce Harper, but ultimately walked him. That set the stage for Robinson to play hero. In the first inning, with two men on and two out, Robinson flew out to right to end the inning.
Six innings later, the first baseman took a 1-1 changeup from Peavy and hit it over the fence in right center for his fourth home run of the season and his second in four games. The Nats have scored 10 runs in the last four games and Robinson has driven in four of those runs.
James Wagner of the Washington Post tweeted about the value Robinson has had since he has to play more due to injuries to Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman:
Since Jayson Werth & Ryan Zimmerman landed on DL, Clint Robinson is hitting .294 (25 for 85) with four home runs.
— James Wagner (@ByJamesWagner) July 4, 2015
When you think about the great stretch that Robinson has had, the Nats have been able to see the power that he had in the spring, when he was able to make the roster after being a non-roster invitee. With these injuries to key players in the lineup, manager Matt Williams is seeing which guys are going to step up and take advantage of their opportunity. Robinson has definitely been one of those players, whether it’s at first base or in the outfield.
Next: Harper Staying Patient
Jul 3, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) at bat against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Harper Continues To Show Patience At The Plate
In last night’s game, Bryce Harper hardly saw any good pitches to hit when he went up against Jake Peavy. In fact, with a man on second and two outs in the first inning, the Giants elected to intentionally walk the Nats superstar with first base open. Out of the 59 walks Harper has had this season, eight of them have been intentional. He had eight combined intentional walks in the last two seasons.
After seeing five pitches during his second at-bat in the fourth inning, Peavy was able to attack Harper in the seventh with the lead, but the right fielder was able to draw a walk on six pitches. For me, this shows another stage in Harper’s development.
Even though he has not hit a home run in his last seven games, he has not pressed at the plate and has taken a pitch that he does not like. Despite battling injuries, he still has a hit in eight of his last ten games. The home runs will come and one nearly did in the eighth inning when Harper just missed a 96 mile per hour fastball on a 2-0 pitch from Josh Osich and flew out to left field.
Even though Harper had only six home runs in June, his average was .370, which was ten points higher than his batting average in May (.360) and in five fewer at-bats. The runs haven’t piled up for the Nats in the last couple of games, but Harper has been the same patient hitter that fans have seen from him all season. Plus, he did have three homers against the Giants last year. Who knows what the next two games have in store?