Washington Nationals force Game 5 with statement victory
By Drew Douglas
Out with the new, in with the old
The Nationals boasted one of the best offenses in all of baseball throughout the regular season. They scored the third-most runs in the National League, and did so while missing many key pieces due to various injuries.
While many Nationals players spent significant time on the disabled list, the batting order remained largely the same throughout most of the regular season. However, Dusty Baker decided to change things up in the postseason.
Jayson Werth, the 38-year-old outfielder, hit second for most of the regular season because of his outstanding ability to prolong at-bats. However, Baker moved him down to the six-hole for the first three games of the NLDS.
Bryce Harper, NL MVP candidate and arguably the Nats’ best hitter, primarily hit in the three-hole throughout the regular season. However, he missed most of August and September due to a leg injury and returned to hit in the two-hole. It made sense in the regular season because he needed as many at-bats as possible, but he should have been moved back in the postseason. Oddly enough, he hit in the two-hole for the first three games of the NLDS.
Anthony Rendon, NL MVP candidate and the NL leader in WAR, hit sixth for much of the regular season. He is an elite hitter, but has said in the past that he is not as comfortable hitting higher in the lineup. He is a terrific six-hole hitter and lengthens the lineup, but he hit third in the first three games of the NLDS.
The new-look lineup struggled and only recorded 11 hits in the first three games of the series. Finally, Baker reverted back to the original lineup in Game 4. While the Nats still only recorded five hits, it is improvement and they had many more run-scoring opportunities.
This lineup will also be better if Turner continues to break out of his slump, as Werth is much better suited to take pitches than Harper.
The Nats’ Game 4 lineup resembled what worked for most of the regular season, and Baker should never have abandoned it. If they stick with this lineup for Game 5, they will be in a better position to have a big offensive night and possibly advance to the first NLCS in team history.