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Washington Nationals: Takeaways From 6-1 Win Over Mets

By Ricky Keeler

Jul 9, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) scores on a triple by center fielder Ben Revere (not pictured) in the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 9, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) scores on a triple by center fielder Ben Revere (not pictured) in the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 9, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; [Washington Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth (28) scores on double by Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (20) (not pictured) in the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

 Werth’s Patience Sets Up Murphy

Even though Murphy was the star in last night’s win, the performance of Jayson Werth should not get overlooked. Despite Werth not getting a hit in three at-bats, he was still able to draw two key two out walks that kept scoring chances alive for the Washington Nationals.

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Werth’s two-out walks in the fifth and seventh innings allowed Murphy the opportunity to hit his double and home runs respectively. In the win, Werth saw more pitches (26) than any other hitter in the lineup.

While Werth is having a bad month at the plate in terms of batting average (.194), his plate discipline is what stands out of the number two spot. He has the most walks (ten) of any player in the National League, his .390 on-base percentage is second on the team behind third baseman Anthony Rendon (.400), and he has a .399 on-base percentage when hitting out of the number two spot.

It wasn’t just Werth who showed good plate discipline last night as the Washington Nationals drew five walks against Logan Verrett, with one of them being Scherzer (leadoff walk in the third inning).

The other two walks were by Harper in the second inning (scored on a Clint Robinson sacrifice fly) and an intentional walk in the fifth inning, but that was the only walk which didn’t come back to bite Verrett, who pitched decent in a loss (6.2 innings, five runs, four hits, three strikeouts, five walks).

Next: Recap: Scherzer, Murphy Lead Nats To Win Vs. Mets

In the last two games against Verrett, the Washington Nationals have draw nine walks and scored seven runs. The team did go 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, but give Murphy more credit for taking advantage of those opportunities when Werth extended the inning.

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