Washington Nationals: Takeaways From 5-3 Loss To Brewers

Where Was Jayson Werth?

While it is no surprise that manager Dusty Baker likes to give his players day off, it was a small surprise that Jayson Werth was given the night off last night after the team had a day off after the series against the Dodgers.

Nevertheless, there were two chances to use Werth last night and he didn’t make an at-bat in any of those chances. The first one came in the eighth inning with two outs and the bases loaded. Instead of using Werth as a pinch-hitter, Baker went to Clint Robinson, who ended up popping out to second.

Although Robinson was 2-for-2 with the bases loaded this season, Werth is 4-for-9 this season with a grand slam and a team high 11 RBI’s (tied for second in the National League).

One inning later, Ben Revere was hit to begin the inning. Instead of using Werth to pinch-hit for Michael Taylor as the tying run, Baker stuck with Taylor and he ended up striking out for the third time in the game. It is great that Baker continues to show faith in Taylor, but he has had a rough last two games (1-for-10, eight strikeouts).

It is still only June and you don’t want to panic over one game, but with the team on a five game losing streak, Werth would’ve been the player to turn to in those situations to go for the big hit as he is one of the players who has delivered in the clutch on a consistent basis.

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