Washington Nationals: 5 Things To Watch Against Arizona
By Chris Lacey
The Diamondbacks have a potent offense capable of scoring runs in bunches and Lamb is a reason that’s possible.
The power-hitting man at the hot corner is crushing everything in sight with a .915 OPS in 91 games, including 22 home runs, 76 RBIs, a solid 127 OPS+ and a respectable .274 batting average.
He flashed power last season for the D-backs with 29 homers and 91 RBIs, but only posted a .249 average.
The uptick in average from last year to the current season is an indication that Lamb is making the necessary adjustments against opposing pitchers.
He is prone to striking out as he has whiffed 102 times already, but that’s alright given the type of production he provides in the lineup.
Lamb has primarily hit fourth in the batting order in 2017, but recently Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo has tinkered with the lineup and moved the third baseman up to third in the order. It’s only a couple of games, but the lineup switch paid huge dividends in the team’s last game against the Reds, as he hit two home runs and tallied six RBIs.
Lamb has handled the Nats well in his 16 games against them, by hitting .275 with six homers, nine RBIs, and a 1.044 OPS.