Washington Nationals: Victor Robles resurgence came at the right time

Over the course of a 162 game season, players go through hot streaks and slumps. They ebb and flow, with hopes the peaks are meaningful to the team’s success, and the valleys don’t last a long time. For Washington Nationals center fielder Victor Robles, his recent stretch couldn’t have come at a better time for the team.

Yadiel Hernandez may have hit the go-ahead home run in the series finale with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but Robles’ double and run, later in the same inning gave the Nationals the insurance they needed to breathe easier. The two-bagger for Robles capped off a great series for a player who was struggling to get on base of late.

Nationals center fielder Victor Robles needed a great series in the desert.

Robles began the year as the leadoff hitter. That didn’t last long. Robles moved to the nine hole in the batting order, as a way to get an extra runner on base ahead of Trea Turner and Juan Soto. Great in theory, though in reality, Robles wasn’t reaching base enough to make a difference.

Entering the series opener with the Diamondbacks, Robles was in an 0-11 slump, which saw his average dip to .216. It had been twenty games since he had contributed an RBI, and his season total sat at one for the year.

We used to say a trip to Coors Field would cure what ailed you, if you were a struggling hitter. Apparently for Robles, it’s a trip to Arizona which gets him out of a slump.

In the three games, Robles reached base at least twice in each contest. He had four doubles and drove in three runs, while raising his OPS nearly 100 points in the process.

For a Nationals team who has struggled to score runs this year, Robles’ offense was a welcome boost. As a whole the 17 run outburst, on 22 hits, in the first game of the series for the Nationals was an anomaly. This team will continue to struggle to push runners around. If Robles can consistently reach base, his efforts will go a long ways in solving the problem.