After struggling early in the season, the bottom of the Nats lineup has been performing well lately due to new faces
Early in the season, the bottom of the lineup was really struggling. Guys like Dylan Crews and Paul DeJong just kept striking out. While Jacob Young is a great defender, he is not much of a factor with the bat. It seemed like once you got past guys like CJ Abrams, James Wood, Keibert Ruiz and Nathaniel Lowe, it was smooth sailing.
However, that has changed recently, especially in games like yesterday where Alex Call is in the lineup. The combination of Call, Crews, and Jose Tena went 4/11 with a walk yesterday. They also came up big in the Nats rally. Along with those guys, backup catcher Riley Adams hit a massive three run homer yesterday.
However, those first three are the real difference makers at the bottom of the order. Simply put, Alex Call needs more playing time. The Nationals inconsistent can’t afford to have a bat like Call out of the lineup. Whether that is in right field, or even DH, Call needs to play. He is hitting .327 with a .429 on base percentage so far this season. Call’s swing decisions are the best I have seen in a Nats uniform since Juan Soto, the man barely chases.
However, it is not just him. I wrote about Dylan Crews’ resurgence earlier, and he is showing the magic that made him so highly touted. Crews is red hot at the plate, and just plays the game so hard. His energy can be contagious.
One unsung hero the last couple weeks has been Jose Tena. Since Paul DeJong went down, Tena has really stepped up. He is hitting .357 in his last seven games and .306 overall. Tena is a pure hitter that is fun to watch when he is hot, which he is right now. Since he got regular playing time, Tena is 10/28.
These guys have really lengthened the Nationals lineup. You know what you are going to get from guys like Wood, Abrams, and even Lowe. However, they need more guys hitting than just that. While the offense has been hit or miss lately, with Lowe slowing down a bit, these guys have provided a spark.
With Luis Garcia Jr. heating up after his slow start, Josh Bell is really the only Nat who isn’t contributing much. I get that Bell is a slow starter, but he has to get going soon, or else playing time needs to diminish for him.
I understand playing him to get him going, but Bell is hitting too high in the lineup right now. He is a black hole at the moment, but is hitting fourth or fifth nearly every game. Hopefully he can find something to get him going.
However, the Nats offense has showed a lot fight in two of the last three games. In Friday’s win, it was also the bottom of the order getting the job done. Crews and Tena both had three hits in the Nats 5-4 walk off win.
Those guys have given the Nats offense a new dimension. While the unit is still inconsistent and goes into extended lulls, it has explosive potential. We are seeing them sleep walk through large parts of the game before putting up crooked numbers quickly. A lot of that is down to the entire lineup providing a threat for pitchers.