Washington Nationals Reaction: Biggest Takeaways from Saturday’s Loss in Cincinnati
The Washington Nationals fell to the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 Saturday afternoon in a game that featured nearly two hours of rain delays. What were the biggest takeaways from yesterday’s contest?
The Nats knew they were going to be tested right out of the gate after each of the rain delays that put a stop to the game being played at Great American Ballpark Saturday afternoon. The Reds just knew it more.
Joey Votto and Adam Duvall each left the yard for the home team, with both homers coming almost immediately after the teams returned to action from rain delays. Votto took Stephen Strasburg (9-0, 2.85 ERA) deep in the bottom of the sixth to give Cincinnati a 3-2 lead.
Danny Espinosa tied the game with a solo shot in the eighth, his eighth homer of the year and fourth in his last nine games. After getting runners on the corners with two outs, downpour returned. The second delay lasted for over an hour, but Adam Duvall made the most of it. He stepped up the plate against Shawn Kelley once play resumed, and crushed a three-run upper decker that put the Reds ahead for good.
Strasburg left the game with a calf cramp midway through the sixth. He finished the game having allowed three runs on four hits, two walks, and ten strikeouts in five and a third innings of work. Strasburg struck out his 1,000th career batter in the loss, making him the first player in Nats history do so exclusively in a D.C. uniform.
Anthony Rendon homered for Washington to put them ahead 2-0 in the second. That was all they would be able to muster against Dan Straily (3-2, 3.34), however, who allowed only two hits and a pair of walks across seven frames. Jay Bruce hit a home run in the bottom half of the inning to set up Votto’s shot four innings later.
Before the Nats attempt to avoid a sweep at the hands of the last place Reds, check out my takeaways from yesterday’s loss in Cincinnati.
Next: Danny Espinosa is Still Starting
Danny Espinosa is Still Starting
Another day, another start for Danny Espinosa. The 29-year old shortstop has appeared in 55 of the team’s 56 games played this season, despite sporting a slash line of .199/.292/.352. His .644 OPS ranks second worst among Nats starters, and is tied with Jayson Werth for the team lead in strikeouts with 49.
In related news, the team’s top position player prospect was called up to the majors on Friday. After going 3-3 with a double and a walk in his first game up, Dusty Baker opted to keep him on the bench Saturday to make room for… Danny Espinosa.
While Turner is fully expected to be the team’s starting shortstop come October, where does the team benefit from keeping him out of the lineup any longer? He has already accrued enough time in the minors to have extended team control an extra year. The team is losing games because of their offense now, and while he won’t be a savior that turns the offense into a dominant force, he will certainly be an upgrade over Espinosa.
Espinosa has always been considered a glove-first player, but even his defense hasn’t been enough to justify keeping him in the everyday lineup. He’s tied with Daniel Murphy for the most errors on the team (five) and sports just a .976 fielding percentage.
Tuner is by no means a poor defensive player, and while he may not have the arm Espinosa does, his defense could not be drastically worse than Danny’s. Regardless, his performance at the plate and on the basepaths would be more than enough to cancel out any miscues he has in the field.
Next: Bryce’s Slump is a Little Concerning
Bryce’s Slump is a Little Concerning
Bryce Harper is a once-in-a-generation talent. He’s the best player on the Nats when things are going his way, and as evidenced by his trophy case, the best player in the National League as well. However, right now Harper is in a slump, and as the weeks of his struggles have drawn on, it’s starting to get a little concerning.
After taking home NL Player of the Month honors for the month of April, Bryce hit a measly .200/.422/.363. He led the league with 31 walks during the calendar month, as pitchers stopped giving him many pitches to hit. Now, he’s forced to make good contact on the few pitches that are in the zone. The results haven’t been ideal.
“You have to understand you may only get one or two [good] pitches a game. If you don’t hit them, it’s your fault.” – Bryce Harper (h/t Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post)
Daniel Murphy has taken over as the team’s best hitter, leading the league with a .379 batting average. Harper may still be the top talent on this roster, but can he make the adjustments to get back on track?
Now, I fully expect Harper to return to doing superman-esque things. However, right now he can’t buy a hit to save his life, and how long will the Nats have to wait before he starts hitting again? It’s a concerning question, one that not many thought we’d be asking in June prior to the season. He will figure out things eventually, but for now Washington is just going to have to buckle down and ride it out.
Next: Anthony Rendon is Back
Anthony Rendon is Back
Entering play on May 17, Anthony Rendon was hitting .229 and had driven in only six runs all year. Dusty decided a lineup switch was in order, and he moved Rendon down to the number six spot to help him find his groove. Needless to say, he found it.
Since that day, Rendon has raised his batting average more than 30 points and racked up eleven RBIs. He has settled into his spot in the order well, benefitting from hitting with more runners on base. With the hot-hitting Wilson Ramos batting behind him, he’s scored ten times as well.
While it is still too early to determine if his power stroke has returned, Rendon hit his fifth home run of the year on Saturday. It was his third in his last ten games. For comparison, he only had two long balls in his first 45 contests this season. He had 21 homers only two seasons ago, and it isn’t too far fetched to think that he can return to that form.
Next: Reds’ homers rain on Nats’ parade
When Rendon is hitting well, he has the potential to be one of the better hitters in this lineup. He finished top-5 in MVP voting in 2014, and there’s no reason why he can’t put up another similar season. If he keeps hitting the way he has the last few weeks, Dusty will have no choice but to move him back up the lineup. If the players around him do their job by getting on base and driving him in, Rendon could make a case for his second career Silver Slugger.