Washington Nationals August 2016 Month In Review
As we head into the month of September, we take a look back at how the Washington Nationals did in the month of August
During the month of August, the Washington Nationals finished with a record of 17-11. Their 17 wins were the most the team has had in any month this season. From July 31-August 31, the Nats lead in the NL East went up from four games over the Miami Marlins to nine games over the New York Mets.
Even though the Nats had their best win total in any mond, there were still some low points in the month. Stephen Strasburg had one of his worst months of the season and had to go on the disabled list August 22 because of elbow soreness. A.J. Cole entered the rotation and has done a decent job in two starts.
As far as how the offense did, they were one of the best in the National League. Trea Turner had 45 hits out of the leadoff spot, which was two shy of the franchise record. Plus, Bryce Harper got back on track, just to name a few highlights. Their best team accomplishment was on August 20 when they scored eight runs in the fourth inning against the Braves.
On defense, the Washington Nationals had their fair share of struggles. Back on August 21 against the Atlanta Braves, the team made five errors in an extra-inning loss at Turner Field.
While the trade deadline had already come and gone, the Washington Nationals made a couple of deals to strengthen their bullpen. First, they added Sean Burnett from the Twins, who should be one of the call-ups once the rosters expand to 40 players. Then, they acquired Marc Rzepczynski from the Oakland A’s to be the second left-hander in their bullpen along with Oliver Perez.
With that being said, check out my grades for the offense, starting rotation, and the bullpen for the month of August:
Next: Offense
Offense: A-
During the month of August, the Washington Nationals scored the second most runs in the National League (155), had the second highest batting average (.283), and the third highest on-base percentage (.342).
In total, the Nats had five players hit over .300 in the month of August. Out of the players who appeared in 20+ games, first baseman Clint Robinson had the best batting average (.359 in 21 games). Robinson got some playing time at first base while Ryan Zimmerman was on the disabled list for the first half of August.
As far as run producing goes, the offense had six different players drive in ten or more runs. Two players (Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rendon) drove in 20 runs. Murphy hit .320 with five home runs and 22 RBI’s while Rendon hit .316 with three home runs and 20 RBI’s.
Jayson Werth had his on-base streak snapped at 46 games on August 20 against Atlanta. In addition to breaking the Nats record with that streak, Werth led the team in home runs in August with eight to go with 16 RBI’s.
For the Washington Nationals, it was a good sign to see Bryce Harper on a hot streak again. Harper had a slash line of .310/.398/.536 in August with three home runs and 19 RBI’s. But, for me, the MVP of the month was Trea Turner.
Turner, who had a streak of eight consecutive hits from August 22-23 against the Orioles, had an excellent month of August. He hit .357 with 45 hits, 27 runs scored, hit five home runs, drove in 15 runs, and had 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts.
Right now, the Washington Nationals have one of the best lineups in baseball if you go by the first through six hitters in the lineup. This includes Wilson Ramos, who hit .261 with five home runs and 17 RBI’s. If they can get Zimmerman and shortstop Danny Espinosa going in September, it would be a great thing for this offense.
Next: Starting Rotation
Starting Rotation: B
Despite the injuries to Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross, the Washington Nationals rotation held their own in August. They had three starters who each won four games. First, let’s start with Max Scherzer, who was one of the best pitchers in the National League this month.
Scherzer went 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA in six starts, but he had the most strikeouts of any starter in baseball (51), including four outings of double-digit strikeouts. In his lone loss, he gave up one earned run against the Indians on August 9, when he took a no-hitter into the seventh.
Roark had the one bad outing against the Orioles on August 24 (four earned runs in five innings). In his other five starts, he gave up a total of nine earned runs. While he did have 14 combined walks in August, he was able to pitch into the sixth inning or later in almost every start.
To me, the surprise of the month was Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez didn’t have a low ERA in August (3.58), but he went 4-0 and held opponents to a .208 batting average. In four of his six starts, he gave up two runs or fewer as he has now putting his winning percentage over .500 for the season.
Before the injury, Strasburg had a rough month of August (10.19 ERA) and had an outing in Colorado (August 17) when he gave up nine runs in 1.2 innings. With Strasburg on the DL, the Washington Nationals turned to A.J. Cole to help in the rotation. While Cole doesn’t have a win, he has done a good job in keeping the offense in the game against two strong lineups in the Orioles and Rockies.
Finally, the fifth starter spot has left a lot to be desired without Strasburg. Lucas Giolito made one start on August 28 against the Rockies and gave up four runs on six hits over five innings in a loss. Reynaldo Lopez did have 11 strikeouts against the Braves on August 18 and won two starts against Atlanta. However, he struggled against the Orioles on August 23 when he gave up four runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings.
Even with Strasburg out of the rotation, the starting pitching has still had a good month. Once he gets back, this is a strong top four in the rotation that all seem to be finding their form at the right time.
Next: Bullpen
Bullpen: C+
If there were too concerning things about the Washington Nationals that happened in the month of August, it was the sloppy defense and the bullpen getting a lot of work. In the bullpen, the Nats had four relievers pitch in ten or more games.
On the plus side, Mark Melancon continues to excel in the closer’s role. Recently, he made five appearances in six days, but still was effective. In the month of August, Melancon went 7-for-7 in saves and had a 0.66 ERA. He has proven to be the dominant closer the Nats have been looking for.
More from District on Deck
- Latest DraftKings Sportsbook Promo Code in Maryland: Bet $5, Win $200 Guaranteed
- Nationals Claim Jeter Downs Off Waivers
- Washington Nationals Minor League Spotlight: Robert Hassell III
- Washington Nationals Tuesday Q&A
- 3 Free Agents the Nationals Should Gamble On
In the setup spots, Shawn Kelley did pick up a save last night and he held opponents to a .229 batting average, which was an improvement from his July opponents batting average against of .286. Blake Treinen did have a 4.50 ERA in August, but five of the seven runs he gave up occurred in one game (August 24 against the Orioles).
One surprise in the bullpen from the month of August was Matt Belisle. The 36-year-old right-hander had a 1.50 ERA in 11 games and threw the third most innings of any reliever on the Nats.
There were two disappointments in the bullpen this past month. Oliver Perez was awful in August as he had a 12.71 ERA in nine games. Yusmeiro Petit had a bad month as well if you go by his 9.90 ERA in eight games and an opponent batting average of .354.
Next: Recap: Gio Tosses Gem In Win Over Phillies
With Sammy Solis on the disabled list due to shoulder inflammation, Mike Rizzo went out and acquired Marc Rzepczynski. Rzcepczynski hasn’t given up an earned run yet in a Washington Nationals uniform and left-handers have only one hit against him.
Right now, this bullpen has some good pieces, but it’s not a bullpen I have complete trust in just yet. We will see which players come up to help the bullpen in September. It will be interesting to see what situations Dusty Baker uses Koda Glover (4.07 ERA in August) in as well.