Washington Nationals: Takeaways from California

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A solid visit to the Golden State for the Washington Nationals brought good results. Also, it showed what this team is capable of.

The Washington Nationals finished a successful west coast trip in Los Angeles.

When your two losses come at the hand of another bad Joe Ross start and Clayton Kershaw, it is a good week. Sweeping the San Francisco Giants and winning series versus the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers, the Nats fly home content with a 7-2 trip through California.

Not that Washington remained untested. Between the bizarre fight between Harper and Hunter Strickland to start the Giants series to winning two games at Chavez Ravine scoring seven total runs, this was a passed exam in potential adversity.

Washington has 33 road games under their belt and are 21-12. To carry a winning percentage of .636 away from home is ridiculous. Although the Nats have yet to play any of the National League Central teams on the road, they lost once to the Giants, Dodgers and Colorado Rockies while dining on room service.

Yeah, that is good.

With games the next 14 days, keeping the momentum going is important. Another trip through the NL East follows the weekend except Philadelphia. The Nats can salt away their first back-to-back division titles and playoff berths soon.

Despite some creeks, it is going swimmingly well for Washington. Their division lead is a comfortable 11.5 games. The Nats spend the next seven nights in their own beds. Jayson Werth and maybe Sammy Solis will come off the disabled list.

As the focus shifts east, here are several things we learned on this last trip.

RYAN ZIMMERMAN MVP CANDIDATE

Ryan Zimmerman’s 2017 is not a fluke.

As Bryce Harper cools, Zimmerman’s production continues to impress. Over the last two weeks, Zimmerman’s slash line is .364/.429/.682. That gives him an OPS of 1.110. You win triple crowns with those numbers.

What started in the back end of March in Florida has carried on through the year. Sure, his torrid April was not sustainable, but his May and early June numbers are. Finally playing against Oakland, he hit .462 over the weekend.

Whether he is fully healthy after years of nagging injuries, working with video to improve his swing or having his ear talked off by Daniel Murphy on hitting—we suspect all three—it is working. For the first time in years, Zimmerman is a feared hitter.

The big difference is hitting between Harper and Murphy. Pitchers have yet to pitch around Zimmerman and it shows. The second hitter sandwiched in the Nats big four, he is crushing mistakes and good pitches. With a third of the season down, the change gets harder to make. Are opponents pitching around him for Murphy? No.

Two homers shy of the all-time franchise record, would it be wonderful if Zimmerman broke it on this homestand? The first true National may be the most important this year.

FUNDAMENTALS ARE PROBLEM

From not laying down needed bunts to turning easy double plays when the Nats lose they beat themselves.

Yes, the bullpen and first-pitch strikes are not on speaking terms. Sure, some nights you tip your cap to the other dugout. Those things happen and there is not a blessed thing you can do.

Let’s go through a sequence from the loss Wednesday to the Dodgers. On an afternoon where Kershaw resembled a human, the Nats carried a tenuous 1-0 lead into the sixth.

Although there was nothing you can do as a team about Corey Seager’s two-out solo blast to dead center, dropping strike three to Adrian Gonzalez and letting him reach is inexcusable. Second time in two days the Dodgers reached on a strikeout.

Having Gonzalez move into scoring position on a passed ball that never left the dirt cost the Nats a potential sweep. Jose Lobaton is there for his defense and did not execute.

Later, Harper reached on a fielder’s choice that eventually forced Trea Turner at home. Although Turner nearly beat it the pickle play, Harper never left the bag and stayed put. He should have put himself in scoring position as the tying run.

These are nitpicky, but it is the little things like above that win championships. For as good as the Nats are, these stretches of lapses are maddening.

SCHERZER’S SEASON FOR THE AGES

So, you thought Max Scherzer’s masterpiece against the San Diego Padres was his best game of the year? Ha!

Against the Giants he tossed a complete game, striking out 11. As he scattered five hits and a run on May 31, he did it with 100 pitches.

Since his bad—for him—start against Atlanta, Scherzer has lowered his ERA from 3.02 to 2.35. Against the Dodgers, he did not allow an earned run in seven innings. He passed Kershaw, tossing 14 strikeouts, as the active leader in double-digit strikeout games with 55.

Over the last 24.2 innings, opponents managed two earned runs, 11 hits and 38 strikeouts. Control? Yeah, five walks in that stretch.

We rightly marvel at what Kershaw does, but Scherzer is having his best season ever. Not bad for a guy owning two Cy Young awards. Although his Adjusted ERA+ of 181 does not lead the NL, his 114 strikeouts, 0.877 WHIP, 5.8 hits-per-9 and 12.2 K/9 do.

The best part is Scherzer is not laboring to do it. In his last four starts, his total pitch count is 419. You need to go back to May 9 against the Baltimore Orioles to find a start over 110 pitches.

Flat out dealing.

WHAT TO EXPECT

You get the sense the Nats are hitting their stride.

More from District on Deck

Trea Turner is stealing bases again. The offense can win when they do not score runs by the bucket load. Stephen Strasburg is quietly having a Cy Young campaign and Tanner Roark has found his 2016 form.

When they had to fight, they did. Washington weathered a bullpen that could get no one out and has the second-highest win total in the league.

Some have waited for the Nats to come back to earth, highlighting what trades must happen and focusing on the negative.

Instead, focus on a team scoring over 5.5 runs a game featuring multiple candidates for MVP and Cy Young. This team is a championship team. Do they need tweaks? Yes, but they have time.

If you are worried about a collapse, remember the second-place Atlanta Braves are a last place team in four of Major League Baseball’s six divisions. Since the first of May, they are 20-13 and 21-14 without Adam Eaton.

Next: Who should bat second with Werth hurt?

Years from now, this will be the team others in Washington are compared to. Enjoy what is ahead. Worry about October when it comes.

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