If CJ Abrams and James Wood aren’t producing, the Nationals offense doesn’t have other places to turn to
The Washington Nationals offense is middle of the pack this season, but it does not feel mediocre. It is either lighting the world on fire and jumping on teams, or sleep walking through innings. There is no in between, and last night the bad Nats offense showed up.
It was the offense where they allow the starting pitcher to go deep into the game without breaking a sweat. Landen Roupp completed six innings in 67 low stress pitches. The question is why is this offense so bipolar?
Honestly, the answer is that the unit relies so much on CJ Abrams and James Wood. On nights like last night where the two big guns went 0/8, the team had no chance. When those guys aren’t performing like stars, this offense is one of the worst in baseball. However, when they are hitting, the rest of the lineup feeds on it and they become elite.
Besides Wood and Abrams, Alex Call is the only other National with a decent sample size who’s OPS is over .700. Nathaniel Lowe and Keibert Ruiz started the season well, but have really cooled off in May.
In particular, Lowe needs to get going. This month, Lowe is hitting .188 with a .538 OPS. He is now hitting .223 with a .683 OPS for the season. Simply put, that is unacceptable for a guy who is supposed to be a big bat for the Nats.
Lowe is supposed to be the guy protecting Wood and Abrams, but instead he has really struggled. Maybe Lowe, like Josh Bell tried to hard to tap into power this offseason. Lowe is striking out more than 4% more than he did last season, which is an issue. The Nationals need Lowe to go back to doing what he does best, spraying the ball around the yard and getting on base at a high clip.
However, it is not just Lowe. Josh Bell and Luis Garcia Jr. have also had highly disappointing seasons. Bell’s struggles have been well documented, and Nats fans have been fed up with him for a while.
However, Garcia needs to be hitting better as well. Right now, he has a .231 average with a .647 OPS. He has gotten very unlucky this season, but at some point the results need to come.
If you shut down Abrams and Wood, you shut down the entire Nats offense, and the Giants showed that last night. Of course, that is easier said than done as those two have been among the best hitters in the National League. However, there are nights where that will happen. It is on the other guys in the lineup to pick them up, and that is not happening.
Until these other guys step up, the Nationals offense is going to be feast or famine. When the big guys are carrying the lineup, the offense will look great, but when they aren’t playing at a super human level, the offense will sputter. This is something Mike Rizzo will have to fix in the years to come.