District On Deck
FanSided

Washington Nationals: Phillies’ Strategy Against Bryce Harper Pays Off

By Ricky Keeler

Apr 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) looks to throw first base to complete the double play after tagging out Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco (7) fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (6) looks to throw first base to complete the double play after tagging out Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco (7) fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
Washington Nationals
Apr 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (11) hits a rbi single scoring third baseman Anthony Rendon (not pictured) during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

More Opportunities For Ryan Zimmerman

If Harper is going to be receiving more intentional walks, it’s going to be up to Ryan Zimmerman to take full advantage of those opportunities. Last night, in both of his chances to score runs off the walks, the first baseman failed to capitalize.

In the third inning, with two men on, Zimmerman popped up to Cameron Rupp behind the plate to end the inning. Then, in the seventh, with two men on again, he struck out looking on a David Hernandez curveball to end that inning.

[recemtposts]

While it is a small sample size, Zimmerman is hitting .214 with runners in scoring position (3-for-14) with five RBi’s. The only three regular position players with lower averages in that situation than Zimmerman are Anthony Rendon (.158), Jayson Werth (.118), and Michael Taylor (.083).

Next: Scherzer Delivers Gutsy Performance, But Nats Fall Short

Now, I wouldn’t be too concerned by those numbers because the Nats are off to a good start. However, if Zimmerman doesn’t get more hits in those situations, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if Daniel Murphy moved up to the cleanup spot, since he is off to a great start to his 2016 season (.394 batting average and .385 with runners in scoring position).

Right now, teams like the Phillies are going to walk Harper more often and make Zimmerman beat them. It’s up to the Washington Nationals’ first baseman to make teams pay for that decision and drive in more runs in order for this offense to produce on a consistent basis.

Home/Max Scherzer