Washington Nationals Reaction: Gio Gonzalez Takes a New Approach
A rocky first inning for Gio Gonzalez was enough damage for Melky Cabrera and the White Sox as the Southsiders beat the Washington Nationals, 3-1, to avoid the sweep.
Washington entered Thursday’s contest winners of three straight as well as seven of their last nine. Their offense had scored ten or more runs in three consecutive games. After hitting five home runs in the first two games of the series, the Nats’ bats would go quiet in the finale.
Miguel Gonzalez (1-1, 3.57 ERA) took the mound for the home team, looking to snap the White Sox’ five-game losing streak. He settled in quickly, retiring the first twelve batters he faced. Gonzalez would lose the perfect game in the fifth when Daniel Murphy took him deep to right field for the Nats’ only run of the game. Chicago’s right-hander would go six innings, allowing the one run on three hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
The Nationals gave the ball to Gio Gonzalez (3-5, 3.93) for the evening, who was looking to rebound after allowing five runs or more in each of previous three outings. He would struggle to find his way in the first inning, however, as the White Sox tapped him for three runs. After forcing Adam Eaton to groundout to start the game, Gonzalez walked back-to-back hitters. Melky Cabrera then came through with two outs, hitting a double into the right field gap that scored both runners. Brett Lawrie then snapped an 0-for-9 streak in the series with a double of his own that brought home Cabrera to make it 3-0 early.
Gio would quickly recover, setting down eleven straight Chicago hitters after the Lawrie double. He threw a season-high 116 pitches, and finished the evening having given up three runs on five hits, two walks, and ten strikeouts. It was the first time this season Gonzalez had struck out more than eight hitters.
The Nats would make a comeback attempt in the top of the ninth. White Sox closer David Robertson was searching for his fourteenth save of the year, and it looked like it would come quickly after he retired the first two batters in five pitches. Jayson Werth then reached on an infield single that shortstop Tyler Saladino bobbled. Bryce Harper then singled up the middle to move Werth to third and bring up Daniel Murphy with runners on the corners and two outs. Murph would not be able to come through, however, and the Nats fell 3-1.
Next up, the Nationals come back to Nats Park for a seven-game homestand before heading to the West Coast. The Phillies travel to D.C. hoping to get back on track after falling seven games back of Washington in the NL East. Before Strasburg takes the hill, take a look at my takeaways from yesterday’s contest.
Next: Can Daniel Murphy Win the Batting Title?
Can Daniel Murphy Win the Batting Title?
After going 1-for-4 with a homer in Thursday’s contest, Daniel Murphy enters play today hitting .374. The former Met leads the National League with 83 hits and has only struck out 27 times. Pittsburgh’s Josh Harrison boasts the second highest batting average in the Senior Circuit, 47 points beneath Murphy.
While he hasn’t hit the .400 mark since May 15, Murphy has not seen his batting average dip below .364 since the second game of the season. He leads the NL with 27 multi-hit games and his 38.6 percent hard-hit rate is the best on the team. Murphy has been everything the Nats could have hoped for and more when they signed him to a three-year, $37.5 million deal over the offseason. What appeared to be the market price now looks like a bargain for Washington.
The big question is, can he keep it up? The audience is divided. Some will point to his abnormally high .387 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) that could not possibly be sustained through an entire season. Others will point out that Murphy has had a high BABIP his entire career, arguing that his improved approach at the plate allows him to spread the ball all over the field at will.
I tend to side with the latter argument, but I won’t go as far as to say he’ll manage to finish the year hitting .400. A batting title is certainly within his grasp, especially considering the rest of the NL is so far behind him.
Next: Gio Gonzalez Takes a Different Approach
Gio Gonzalez Takes a Different Approach
Through his first eleven starts of the season, Gio Gonzalez averaged about five and a half strikeouts per game. Although he had struck out 190 batters or more three times in his career, Gonzalez changed his approach in 2016. He no longer tried to force swings-and-misses, but just focused on keeping the ball down in the zone to produce more groundballs.
Thursday evening, he ran into trouble for the fourth straight start. After allowing three runs to cross the plate in the first inning, something clicked in the back of Gonzalez’s mind. He returned to his former self, striking out five of the next eight hitters he saw. Gonzalez would go on to strike out five more, setting a season-high 10 whiffs.
According to Brooks Baseball, Gio turned to his curveball 26.7 percent of the time last night, nearly seven percent higher than his season average. It was his go-to strikeout pitch, as seven batters went down swinging at the mercy of his curve. When Gonzalez was a strikeout pitcher, he was well-known for that curve. It appears that he brought it back after offenses began to figure him out.
Gio began the year allowing only ten earned runs in his first 53.1 innings (1.86 ERA). In his next three outings, Gonzalez gave up 18 runs in only 15.2 (10.34 ERA). After working closely with pitching coach Mike Maddux to develop into a groundball pitcher, it appears the Nats’ lefty reverted to his former self. Whether or not that shift is permanent, it will be interesting to see which approach he takes in his next start.
Next: Michael Taylor to the Minors?
Is a Minor League Stint in Store for Michael Taylor?
In 60 games this season, Nationals leadoff hitters have slumped to a combined .190/.240/.297 slash line. Michael Taylor has appeared in the spot 26 times, contributing to the total with a .198/.239/.349 line of his own. Overall, Taylor has played in 45 games, which is nearly as many as Wilson Ramos, and is batting a lowly .207. After finishing fourth in all of baseball with a .453 batting average in Spring Training, Taylor lost any momentum he had once the season started.
With the Nationals reportedly in the market for a left-handed bat to add to the lineup, Taylor’s time in the Nats’ clubhouse could be numbered. While he has played above average defense in center field and his arm is certainly an upgrade over Ben Revere, Taylor may be due for a tune up in AAA. He owns the highest strikeout percentage on the team and has only eleven extra-base hits to his name.
As he is still a young player, Taylor can be sent down to the minors to work things out when he’s struggling (looking at you Werth). The Nats should not hesitate to move him for a variety of reasons. If Taylor is going to work out of this prolonged slump, he’s going to need every day at-bats. Sitting on the bench five days a week isn’t going to be enough work for him to get back on track, especially for a 25-year old. In addition, the Nats could use a better bat in the lineup, and Matt den Dekker has proved his worth in the big leagues before.