Washington Nationals: 5 storylines to watch at Miller Park
By Ricky Keeler
Travis Shaw a surprise in Milwaukee
When you talk about the Brewers offense, names such as Ryan Braun and Eric Thames will likely be the first two names that come to mind. However, third baseman Travis Shaw is flying under the radar for the good season that he is having.
In 117 games, Shaw has a slash line of .282/.355/.538 with 27 home runs and 83 RBI’s. After two seasons in Boston, the Red Sox dealt Shaw to Milwaukee for reliever Tyler Thornburg. Milwaukee has gotten the better end of that deal considering Thornburg hasn’t pitched all year due to injury.
Shaw does have eight home runs since the All-Star break (leads the team), but he is hitting only .248 and has struck out 42 times. On the plus side, 15 of his 35 hits have been for extra bases. When he does make contact, it goes a long way.
The Washington Nationals saw that first hand last month when Shaw was 4-for-8 with two home runs and four RBI’s in the three game series. Those home runs came against Edwin Jackson and Max Scherzer.
However, one thing to keep in mind regarding Shaw is that he was out of the lineup yesterday and will probably miss tonight’s game due to a foot injury. If Milwaukee is without him for an extended period of time, it will hurt their offense:
With LHP Gonzalez for Nats tomorrow, looking like a two-day break for banged-up Travis Shaw. Says the foot is impacting his mobility.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) August 30, 2017