Washington Nationals: Uphill NL East battle favors them

A deeper dive into the Washington Nationals statistics show where they are week. Dave Martinez is working on the fix with speed and aggression.

The Washington Nationals road back to the playoffs is uphill.

Five games behind the surging New York Mets in the National League East, and with 90 percent of the season left, this is not the time to panic. Injuries behind the plate will slow the Mets while the Nats expect Adam Eaton and Daniel Murphy back soon.

However, the divisional deficit must stay under ten games. Anything in double-digits puts you into miracle territory. Remember, this team has a nasty time dealing with pressure. Good thing they have five months to sort this out.

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Overall, Washington plays like their record. Some games are gems while others you know are over early. The record is right; the Nats are a .500 club.

With 62 runs scored, the Nats are seventh in the NL. As a team, the slash line is a mixed bag of .235/.333/.387. The batting average ranks ninth, but the on-base percentage is third. Washington puts runners on. They cannot bring them home. In this pitching year, their 96 OPS+ is four percent below average.

That is slightly above the 94 NL average. The Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates have the best numbers at 119 and 118. The Cincinnati Reds sit at the bottom with 73.

So, why is Washington struggling? Well, it is not the pitching. The Nats 1.137 WHIP trails the Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks for top honors. ERA numbers do not have enough innings logged to take seriously.

Washington’s struggles come down to not stringing runners together. When you are third in OBP but ninth in batting average, we have a problem. The solution is one already on display, aggression on the bases.

The Nats have a league-leading 17 stolen bases and an 85 percent success rate. Although third-base coach Bob Henley takes considerable grief for sending runners home, his mindset matches manager Dave Martinez. Get on base and make something happen.

After 15 games, Washington has a league-best 70 walks. Atlanta has 60 for second. League average is 52 with 127 strikeouts. The Nats are league average exactly with 127.

Still, they must continue pressing before the cavalry returns to full strength. Whatever ails Washington can get a jolt if the go into New York on Monday and win the series. A sweep has them comfortable if they win. But, if the Nats are swept, they edge closer to dangerous territory.

Next: Nats celebrate Jackie Robinson

The stats tell us things are better than they appear. Time to make the standings agree.

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