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Washington Nationals May 2016 Month In Review

By Ricky Keeler

May 31, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (12) watches the game from the dugout steps against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
May 31, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (12) watches the game from the dugout steps against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 24, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (20) hits a two-run home run during the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Offense: B

Even though the Washington Nationals only hit .251 in May, they were one of the better teams in the league in driving teams in and hitting the long ball. The Nats’ 133 runs were the fourth most in the National League and they hit the most home runs in the NL (43).

After a bad month of April, first baseman Ryan Zimmerman had a much better month of May. He was tied with Murphy for the most home runs on the team (seven), had 17 RBI’s, and hit .262. His .542 slugging percentage was also the second highest on the team behind Murphy. He even had one of the team’s two inside the park home runs (Stephen Drew had the other).

Before the first series against the Mets at Citi Field, Dusty Baker made a lineup switch as he put Jayson Werth in the number two spot and Anthony Rendon batting sixth. Since that switch happened, Werth is hitting .263 with two home runs and six RBI’s while Rendon hit .333 with two home runs and nine RBI’s. So far, that move has changed both hitters for the better.

Another positive for the month was the play of Wilson Ramos. The Nats’ catcher hit .333 (second behind Murphy) with four home runs and 17 RBI’s in 27 games. Despite these great offensive performances, there were some negatives.

For one, the Nats still haven’t gotten anything out of the leadoff spot as Ben Revere hit a mere .170 in 23 games.

As for the reigning NL MVP, while he did have four home runs and an on-base percentage of .422, Harper hit only .200 in 28 games as he went through a slump after teams started to pitch around him. It started back on May 8 against the Cubs when he reached base seven times and was walked six times in a 13-inning loss. All in all, it was still an above average month offensively for the Nats even without great power numbers from Harper.

Next: Starting Pitching

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