Washington Nationals Reaction: Offense clicks again as Nats top Rockies
Gio Gonzalez was solid, but another offensive explosion led the Washington Nationals to a win over the Colorado Rockies Friday night.
The Washington Nationals’ offense was clicking on all cylinders last night. They scored eight runs on 10 hits, three batter had multiple hits, and three batters had two RBIs. Jayson Werth homered for the 18th time this season, Bryce Harper tripled for the first time this season and Daniel Murphy homered for the 25th time.
The Nationals also manufactured several runs, with Trea Turner‘s ever-impressive speed forcing the Rockies to commit three costly errors. Overall, it was the kind of night that the offense needs to keep having between now and October and throughout the postseason.
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Of course, it helped that starter Gio Gonzalez delivered a solid outing en route to his 100th career win — a huge milestone for the left-hander. But the Nationals, as they tend to do, made it interesting late in the game and allowed the Rockies to score three runs in the top of the ninth.
Thanks to the offense, though, the Nationals were able to weather the storm and secure an 8-5 win over Colorado.
Last night’s effort by the offense was the latest in what has been a solid string of offensive output for the Nationals. The Nats have scored 66 runs in their last 10 games. Due to faulty pitching, they’ve only gone 5-5 during that span. But the fact that the team has averaged 6.6 runs a game is a testament to just how hot the lineup is right now, and how productive it can be if all goes well moving forward and if other batters start to get hot as well.
Things should get easier for the Nationals once Stephen Strasburg returns from the disabled list and the bullpen is well-rested. After all, it’s not realistic to expect the team to score eight runs on a nightly basis.
But the Nationals’ offense has shown in recent days that this team isn’t only about pitching — it’s a well-rounded team that can light up a pitching staff just as much as it can shut down an opponent’s lineup.
Next: Nationals: Gio Gonzalez Records Career Win #100 Against Rockies
Hopefully for the Nationals, the offense will continue to click down the stretch and into the postseason. If players like Murphy, Werth and Harper can stay hot, and players like Wilson Ramos, Danny Espinosa and Ryan Zimmerman can get hot, there’s no telling what the Nationals can accomplish this fall.