Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: Nats Start West Coast Trip On Bad Note
By Ricky Keeler
Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Taylor Provides Lone Offense
The Nationals only had three hits as a team last night, but two of them came off the bat of Michael Taylor. After Kershaw retired the first 16 batters he faced, Taylor took a first pitch fastball and hit it over the head of Joc Pederson in center and off the wall for a double.
Then, in the eighth inning, Taylor kept that same aggressive approach at the plate and singled to left on the first pitch of the at-bat, a breaking ball. Overall, Taylor went 2-for-3 in the game, but he was unable to get past third base.
This month, Taylor is hitting .250 at the plate (11-for-44) with one home run and seven RBI’s. His seven RBI’s are tied for third on the team with Wilson Ramos. The only two players on the team who have more RBI’s than him are Ian Desmond (8) and Ryan Zimmerman (10).
After hitting six home runs in the first of the season, Taylor has hit four home runs and drove in 16 runs over his last 100 at-bats (.240 batting average). In addition, the 24-year-old center fielder has been able to adjust to hitting out of the number eight spot in the order.
When he bats eighth, Taylor is hitting .258, but has a .322 on-base percentage. Plus, he has 17 runs scored out of that spot in the order. That number is third in the National League behind Nick Ahmed of the Diamondbacks (29) and Adeiny Hechavarria of the Marlins (35).
Next: Zimmermann's Great Start Goes To Waste Against Dodgers