A HISTORIC OFFENSE
By a steady margin, Washington leads the NL in runs scored with 748.
Think about that. They lost Adam Eaton in April for the year. Jayson Werth, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper lost significant chunks of the season with injuries and the Nats averaged 5.1 runs a game.
Although the Dodgers own a higher OPS+ of 103, The Nats OPS of .791 leads the NL and adjusts to 102. With an on-base percentage of .335, they are tied with the Dodgers and Cubs for second behind the Colorado Rockies.
Despite losing Werth and Harper’s power bat, Washington slugged 195 homers heading into Sunday. Good for fourth in the NL, the Nats never lost a beat.
Two key reasons for their continued success is their ability to grind out at-bats and aggressiveness on the bases. Turner has 39 steals while Washington has 95. Only the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds have more.
Led by Daniel Murphy, the Nats have slashed 277 doubles. Another league high. Although a statistic not held in high esteem, their .270 batting average trails Colorado by two points and is 15 above league average. There are no easy outs when the regulars play. From Turner to Michael Taylor, this team will outlast you.
By 13 points their slugging percentage tops the NL and the .456 mark is a whopping 31 points above league average. With 15 more runs, this year’s squad will set the franchise record set last year. They have 19 games left.