Nationals: Takeaways From 14-1 Win Over D’Backs

 Offense Keeps The Line Moving

When you look at the Washington Nationals offense, you could spotlight a lot of names from the offense, whether it was three-hit nights for Wilson Ramos and Murphy or the fact that nine different hitters drove in a run.

In the first inning, the Washington Nationals scored four runs against Archie Bradley and did not have one extra-base hit in the process. Their first extra-base hit did not come until the second inning when Anthony Rendon hit a two-run double to extend the lead to 6-1.

You know the offense is having a great night when the starting pitcher (Strasburg) goes 3-for-4 and has a RBI. Even without Ryan Zimmerman in the lineup, you can tell the offense was trying to make a statement after their struggles in the final two games against the Giants and that no piece was added to the offense at the deadline.

The player I want to talk about is Anthony Rendon, who was the player of the week last week. Since the All-Star Break, Rendon is hitting .315 with four home runs, 12 RBI’s, and has a .611 slugging percentage. That is the second highest slugging percentage on the Washington Nationals behind Murphy (.854).

Over the last 30 days, Rendon has drove in the second most runs on the team with 15 in 22 games (Murphy has 22 RBI’s in 21 games). Last night, Dusty Baker hit Rendon out of the cleanup spot and he had three RBi’s in the first two innings.

Last night was an important night for the Washington Nationals offense because they were able to string hits together and take the opposition out of the game early. Plus, it allowed the bullpen to have the night off without any high stress innings, which they needed.

Next: Melancon Has Strong Debut