Another day, another convincing win for the Nationals in the desert. After the 14-1 demolition job last night, the Nats were firing on all cylinders again today, winning 6-1. This win gives them yet another road series win and improves their overall road record to 21-12.
Today’s game started almost exactly the same way as last night’s contest. In both cases, the Nats were up 2-0 after two hitters. Last night it was Luis Garcia Jr. doing the damage, today Curtis Mead was the man to give the Nats an early
lead via the two run homer. Mead has been a breakout sensation for this team, and his OPS sits at .845 after today.
Unlike last night, the runs did not keep on coming after that. Eduardo Rodriguez locked in and began to cruise after the homer. However, Zack Littell was deconstructing the D-Backs lineup and putting up zeroes of his own. After a brutal April, Littell has turned his season around in a big way. He has a 2.27 ERA in his last 7 outings. Littell has managed to avoid getting killed by the long ball. When he is not allowing homers, Littell does a good job commanding his deep arsenal.
Today the splitter was on point for the big right hander. He got three whiffs on five swings against the pitch. Littell made Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll look silly at times with that offering. Over his last few starts, Littell has been getting more swing and miss. He will never be a massive strikeout artist, but it is nice to see the punchout become a bigger part of his game.
After Littell grinded through the fifth, Blake Butera decided to pull his righty after just 64 pitches. It felt like the D-Backs hitters were starting to get a beat on Littell, so the decision made some sense. However, it was a quick hook that would certainly be discussed if the Nats did not hold onto this game.
As you know, the Nats did wind up holding on to this one and added some big insurance runs. Dylan Crews was a huge part of that. To start the 7th, the former LSU star ambushed a first-pitch fastball that was at the top of the zone. He absolutely demolished that ball to left field.
This was easily Crews’ best swing since he has come back to the big leagues. Rodriguez was throwing him high fastballs all game, and in his third at bat Crews made him pay. Before the homer, Crews was really struggling to adjust to big league pitching. He was 1 for his last 19, looking overmatched at times. Crews got another hit after the homer, so hopefully that swing unlocked something for him.
Getting Crews going would only help bolster this offense. At this point, my expectations for Crews are not particularly high. Getting him to even be a league average hitter would be a strong achievement. However, we know he can make things happen in the field and on the bases. We just need some productivity from the bat. Being able to consistently tap into his power is a good place to start.
After getting two runs in the 7th, the Nats put up two more in the 9th to make it a comfortable 6-1 win. These Nats have truly been road warriors this season. They have won 8 of the 11 series they have played away from home. The boys also find themselves back above .500, bouncing back nicely from the Marlins debacle.
The Nats have had trouble finishing off sweeps this year. They only have had one sweep all season, and getting another would be a major statement. With Cade Cavalli on the mound, things line up nicely for them. The Nats will be facing old pal Michael Soroka, who is actually having a nice year in the desert.
This team has shown resiliency all year long, and did a nice job putting that Marlins series behind them. The offense is back on track, and the Nats have stacked together two of the most complete performances of the season. Let’s keep the good times rolling with a sweep!
