Let’s get creative Washington Nationals fans. We are no longer tracking Max Scherzer’s rise on the all-time strikeout list. We are no longer comparing Trea Turner to the other shortstops in the league. We are no longer bad mouthing manager Davey Martinez over his usage of Brad Hand. We are no longer worried about mixing Gomer Homer or JHay into our tweets. We need something to keep our interest as we continue to watch what has turned into a dumpster fire of a season for our favorite team.
Dumpster fire it is, and the Nationals allowed the Philadelphia Phillies to pour gasoline on the blazing inferno for four straight games over the past week. What can we focus on? How about Carter Kieboom. Our favorite former number one draft pick, whom we love to pick apart.
Four losses at the hands of the Phillies, in DC, and there wasn’t much to celebrate. I for one, am celebrating Kieboom.
The Nationals had a terrible series against the Phillies, though Carter Kieboom held his own at the plate.
Kieboom ended the series with three multi-hit games and clobbered his first two home runs of the season. He has cut down on his strikeouts and looks very confident at the plate.
Don’t look now, but Carter Kieboom is 10-for-24 (.417) with two homers and a double in his last 8 games👀
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) August 5, 2021
The swagger that never seemed to be there when Kieboom was trying to prove he could hit in the big leagues has come out in full force, now that Carter is hitting at the big league level.
The trade rumors are not swirling. The pressure to produce is not sitting on his shoulders. The fun of playing successful baseball seems to have soaked in a little.
In the series, Kieboom drove in five runs and scored four more. He has batted eighth in the lineup a couple of times, though was moved up to the six spot for the finale, and continued to thrive. Kieboom has a modest five game hitting streak going and has seen his batting average creep above .300 for the first time all year. Yes, the sample size is small. Though for all the trials and tribulations he has been through, this statistic is worth noting.
Now, we just have to work on the defense a little. A ninth inning Kieboom error opened the flood gates for the Phillies and allowed them to sweep the series. One thing at a time, however,. Kieboom has found his hitting stroke, let’s continue to work that.