Nationals slumping at plate, sizzling on mound and seeking clarity
The next month — heck, the next 10 games — should tell us whether the Washington Nationals are a true contender this season in the National League or if they are a club entirely too reliant on reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper.
The Nationals are 14-7 and in first place in the NL East as they begin what looks like a brutal 10-game road trip with stops in St. Louis, Kansas City and Chicago. The Cardinals are always tough, the Royals are the defending champs and the Cubs are the preseason favorite to win the World Series and have done nothing to change that perception in the opening month.
But who are the Nationals? It seems clear from a look at the numbers so far, they aren’t who they appear to be. Their 55 runs allowed are the fewest in baseball. Their 82 runs scored are far short of the elite contender some believed them to be.
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The fact that Washington is in first place in its division at the outset of the trip is something of a marvel considering it was just swept by Philadelphia in a three-game series and much of its regular starting lineup isn’t hitting.
Harper and second baseman Daniel Murphy are the lone bright spots offensively. Ryan Zimmerman is hitting .235 with one home run and seven RBI in 68 at-bats. Anthony Rendon is hitting .229, Michael Taylor is hitting .192. Jayson Werth has hit three home runs with eight RBIs and not much else. He’s batting .185. Danny Espinosa is hitting .172. Matt den Dekker is at .185.
Those slumps don’t figure to hold up over the long haul but how much the hitters who own them are able to improve going forward is going to be crucial. Eventually Washington is going to need to win games with its offense because the exceptional performance of the pitching staff to this point also figures to trend back toward the mean over time.
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Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Joe Ross and Tanner Roark all have an ERA at 2.17 or better and staff ace Max Scherzer has been the disappointment having allowed 15 earned runs in his first 31 innings this season. The bullpen was a big problem last season but seems to be much improved as well. Will that hold up?
Without the pitching operating at a high level, the Nationals would likely be well back in the standings already. It all leads to the question of whether the hitting woes will get ironed out before the pitching comes back to earth and the next 10 games against contending teams will have a say in that.
But Washington and new manager Dusty Baker are facing more than one of the most difficult road swings of the year. The entire month of May will be a challenge with the Cardinals coming to town and six games against the defending NL champion New York Mets, too.
It seems likely the Nationals are not quite the offensive disaster they currently appear to be and they’re probably not the pitching juggernaut everyone expected the Mets to be.
By the time June rolls around, the Nationals could be sitting pretty having survived a tough start at the plate and a difficult stretch of games or they could have a lot of ground to make up if they’re going to avoid a second consecutive disappointing season.
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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
