These Nats are just a series winning machine. They have now won 11 of the last 12 series and improved to 39-35 on the season. The Nationals now have sole possession of a Wild Card spot, which is pretty crazy if you ask me. I say it all the time, but man has this season been fun.
Like most great teams, it feels like there are different heroes every night. Tonight there were three main stars. The first one was
Foster Griffin, who was excellent again. He threw 6 innings of one run ball, striking out six. At this point, this kind of outing from Griffin feels like the expectation rather than something to be excited about.
For the season, Griffin now has a 3.32 ERA. He had two rough starts in May, but has gotten back to rolling since then. Griffin has been such an astute signing by this front office. You have to wonder what is next for him. I tended to think he was a near lock to be traded. While that still might be the case, what would the Nats do if they remain in a playoff race in six weeks?
Griffin’s deep arsenal was fooling Royals hitters most of the night. He scattered a few hits here and there, but unlike some of his recent starts, the home run ball was not a factor. When Griffin needed to find another gear with runners on base, he got a couple of clutch strikeouts on the night.
The next big star in this one was Nasim Nunez, whose bat has really heated up lately. Nunez is hitting .333 with an .857 OPS in his last 15 games. It feels like Nunez is relaxing in the batters box more and trying to hit line drives. For much of the season, Nunez has been trying to lift the ball, which is just not his game. Now, he is back to his bread and butter.
Tonight, Nunez hit two triples, something you do not see too often. The first one drove in Drew Millas to open the scoring in the third. Then, the speedster got another three-bagger in the 5th to start the inning. James Wood would drive him in right afterwards.
It was not just the offense where Nunez was a threat though. He made a couple really nice plays on defense, including a clutch double play turn in the 9th when things looked to be getting dicey for Gus Varland. Nunez also walked twice and used his speed to steal his league-leading 26th base. Tonight shows you why the Nats have stuck with Nasim through the struggles. When he is giving you something with the bat, he can be such a spark plug.
The last hero of the night was a player who has been clutch all season long. Curtis Mead had been in a mini-slump the past week, but he changed that with one swing of the bat. After the bullpen gave away the 3-1 lead in the top of the 7th, the Nats ferocious offense responded in a big way in the bottom half.
The normally reliable Daniel Lynch’s control escaped him tonight. He walked Nunez and Andres Chaparro to bring up the Aussie. Mead absolutely leaned into a laser beam of a homer on a Lynch hanging slider. That made the game 6-3, a lead that would stick.
Picked up in a waiver wire trade, Mead has been an invaluable piece for this team. He has played all over the infield, and gives his team such good at bats. Mead was considered a failed prospect heading into the new season, but like so many of these Nats, he has found new life this year.
The fans have also found new life here in DC. The yard was packed tonight, and fans were ready to explode in the 9th. They went nuts when Gus Varland struck out Isaac Collins to end the game. That feeling is starting to come back in DC. If you have not already been paying attention to the Nats, there are a few more seats on the bandwagon. Take them before it is too late!
