Washington Nationals July 2016 Month In Review

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Jul 6, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Nationals principle owner Mark Lerner speaks with manager Dusty Baker (12) before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Before the Washington Nationals start August baseball, here are my grades for the month of July

The Washington Nationals (61-44) finished the month of july with a 13-12 record, which is their worst record in terms of winning percentage in any month this season. Sine the All-Star Break, they are 7-8 in 15 games and they went 3-3 against two potential playoff teams in the Indians and Giants this week.

Of course, five Washington Nationals were named to the National League All-Star team during the month of July. Those four players were right fielder Bryce Harper, second baseman Daniel Murphy (2-for-3 in All-Star Game), catcher Wilson Ramos, and starting pitchers Max Scherzer (one scoreless inning) and ing. When you look at their ERAs’s since that point, the other starter with an ERA over three is Stephen Strasburg (didn’t play).

When the month began, the Washington Nationals were six games ahead of the Mets and 6.5 games ahead of the Miami Marlins. Today, they enter play with a four game lead on Miami and 6.5 on the Mets.

Even though the Nats lost the final two games of the month, they did make a significant acquisition over the weekend that should help the final two months of the year when they traded Felipe Rivero and prospect Taylor Hearn to the Pirates for closer Mark Melancon.

Offense: C

In the month of July, the Washington Nationals hit the fourth most home runs in the National League (32), but their offense had its fair share of struggles. They were seventh in the NL in runs scored (108) and dead last in batting average (.233).

By far, the best player on the Washington Nationals this past month was Murphy. Murphy hit .346 with six home runs, 23 RBI’s, and a .372 on-base percentage in 22 games. His 23 RBI’s are about double the second best total (Danny Espinosa and Anthony Rendon with 12).

When Zimmerman went on the disabled list, the Nats called up Trea Turner from triple-A to play some second base and eventually center field. Turner hit .281 with seven RBI’s and was 7-for-7 in stolen bases. He is the spark the offense needs to start being more consistent.

Rendon is starting to heat up at the right time. Even though he only hit .272 in July, he had six home runs (tied with Murphy for team lead) and he is hitting .364 in his last six games. Plus. Jayson Werth goes into the month of August with a 33-game on-base streak and Ramos keeps putting up strong number (.291, three home runs, ten RBI’s).

But, there are three regular players on the Washington Nationals who hit under .200. Ben Revere hit .198 in 23 games and is now splitting time with Turner in center field, Espinosa hit .193 with three home runs and 12 RBI’s, and Bryce Harper hit only .176 with four home runs and ten RBI’s

If the Washington Nationals are going to make the postseason, they need Harper to start putting up the power numbers that he did in April. Plus, his on-base percentage of .303 was the lowest he has had in any month this season. This is an offense that needs to do a better job with hitting with men in scoring position. If they can do that, they can get bigger leads in games and put less pressure on the bullpen.

Next: Starting Pitching

Jul 17, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Starting Pitching: B-

Since the All-Star Break, the Washington Nationals have gotten good production from their starting pitching. When you look at their ERAs’s since that point, the other starter with an ERA over three is Strasburg (three).

If there were negatives to the rotation, it was the performances of their two top pitching prospects, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. While both pitchers have bright futures, neither starter went past five innings in any game. Giolito and Lopez are both in the triple-A rotation right now, continuing to work on their development.

The two pitchers who had four wins in the month of July were Strasburg and Scherzer. Strasburg had his first loss against the Dodgers on July 22, but he had a 2.08 ERA and held opponents to a .127 batting average in five starts. As for Scherzer, he went 2-1 with a 1.32 ERA in five starts and his 39 strikeouts were the fourth most of any National League pitcher.

As for the other two starting pitchers, Tanner Roark led the team in innings pitched at 36.1 and went 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA in six games (five starts). But, the surprise of the month was the consistency of Gio Gonzalez. The left-hander had a 2.70 ERA in five starts.

If Gonzalez continues to put up these strong numbers, it further adds to the depth that this rotation has when the Washington Nationals eventually get Ross back into the mix. This rotation has the good back end starters to go with a great top three in Strasburg, Scherzer, and Roark.

Next: Bullpen

Jul 29, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker (12) relieves relief pitcher Blake Treinen (45) in the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. The Nationals won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /

Bullpen: D

The bullpen was by far the weakest unit of the Washington Nationals in the month of July. While they got Solis back last week after his DL stint, only three regular relievers had ERA’s under three (Blake Treinen, Rivero, and Yusmeiro Petit). Rivero is now in Pittsburgh after the Melancon deal.

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One reliever did make his Major League debut this month and that was Koda Glover. Glover, who was drafted in the eighth round in 2015, shut out the Dodgers in two appearance and only needed four pitches to finish his Major League debut on July 21. He is now at triple-A Syracuse, but he could be a piece for the bullpen down the road.

A positive about this bullpen was the performance by Treinen. He had a 0.93 ERA in 13 games and gave up just one earned run. He has been one of the pitchers Baker has used in setup situations when Shawn Kelley was unavailable. He has now posted sub-one ERA’s in each of the last two months.

When you look at the bullpen’s struggles, Kelley gave up three home runs and had an ERA of 3.24 in 11 games as either the closer or the set-up man. Even though Oliver Perez had two hits against the Mets on July 7, he had a 3.60 ERA in 13 games.

Finally, Jonathan Papelbon’s struggles have been alarming. Papelbon returned from his intercostal injury on July 4 and did not give up a run in his first seven appearances. Over his last three outings, he gave up seven earned runs, blew one save (July 26 against the Indians), and was pulled from the ninth inning when the Nats had a three run lead on Friday against the Giants.

Next: Top Five Non-Waiver Trades In Nats History

With Melancon now the closer, Papelbon would likely be the eighth inning guy unless the team adds another reliever. I liked the Melancon deal because the Washington Nationals didn’t have to give up much to get a good closer compared to what the Cubs and Indians gave up for Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller respectively.

In the end, the Washington Nationals need much more production from their bullpen down the stretch. The Melancon deal should help, but they need those late-inning relievers to provide a formidable bridge to the closer. We shall see what happens over the next two months.

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Before the Washington Nationals start August baseball, here are my grades for the month of July

Offense: C

Starting Pitching: B-

Bullpen: D

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