Washington Nationals: Clutch home runs keep NLDS hopes alive

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07: Ryan Zimmerman #11 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals after hitting a three run home run against the Chicago Cubs in the eighth inning during game two of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

Michael Taylor stays consistent

Before the heroics in the eighth, hardly any of the Washington Nationals were having much success against Cubs pitching. The box score will show a 0-for-2 night for Michael Taylor, but he has been putting together good at-bats the entire series.

Out of the four at-bats he had, Taylor only saw 13 pitches, but the bulk of those pitches came in the fifth inning against Lester. In that inning, he saw eight pitches and drew a walk. The Nats didn’t score that inning, but it showed the patience Taylor is showing at the plate.

In Game 1, you could make the case that Taylor was the best player on offense and when he is making contact, he is hitting hard line drives. If that approach continues, then eventually the stat line will look better than the 1-for-5 so far.

The bottom of the order for the Nats has been able to get on base with Taylor reaching base three times and Matt Wieters being hit by a couple of pitches. If those two players can get their swings going, that will only help the lineup become more consistent. Right now, Taylor isn’t showing much postseason nerves and that’s a good sign.

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