Washington Nationals use their big bats to win a wild game

Just a couple days after being shutout, the Nationals offense exploded in Anaheim

The Nationals offense showed just how bipolar they can be these last two games. In the last game of the Padres series, they could get nothing going. It was painful to watch Nats hitters try to do something against Nick Pivetta. However, they showed what they can do last night.

With Jose Soriano on the mound, Nationals hitters had a field day. After a quiet first inning, the Nats struck first in the second inning. After the slow footed Nathaniel Lowe legged out an infield single, Josh Bell hit an opposite field home run to make it 2-0 early.

However, the Angels bats also came to play against Jake Irvin. After a Jo Adell homer cut the lead in half in the bottom of the second, Nolan Schanuel and Taylor Ward both hit two run bombs to make it 5-2. Many Nationals fans probably figured it was time for bed at that point.

However, the Nats would claw their way back into the contest in the fourth inning. Josh Bell and Brady House both got on to start the inning. After two quick outs followed that, Jacob Young came in clutch with a two run double to make it a one run game. CJ Abrams would tie it up with a single that scored Young, but got out on the bases.

After the Angels responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Nats refused to go away. They put up 3 runs to retake the lead. Nathaniel Lowe hit his first of two clutch doubles to make it a one run game. After an RBI groundout by Josh Bell tied it up, Daylen Lile hit a ball right above the outstretched arms of the second baseman to make it 8-7 good guys.

The late night Nats were having a wild game and the bats were front and center. Performances like that make the consistent stinkers the offense puts up even more frustrating. We know the talent is there, but it is so inconsistent.

In the bottom of the fifth, Jake Irvin’s rough night continued. After allowing a single and a walk, Irvin was done and had an ugly line. He went 4.1 innings, allowing 8 earned runs. Irvin allowed 9 runs total, but one was unearned thanks to a lazy Luis Garcia Jr. error in the 5th.

However, the Nats would pick up their starter offensively. James Wood tied the game with a sac fly in the top of the sixth. Brad Lord did an outstanding job out of the bullpen as usual. He gave Davey Martinez 5 massive outs.

Youngster Brady House got his first real signature moment in the top of the 7th. After a leadoff walk by Bell, House ripped one into the corner which scored Bell all the way from first. House has not exactly hit the ground running in his MLB career, so it is good to see him have a big moment.

After Nathaniel Lowe gave the Nats some insurance in the 8th, Washington really broke it open in the 9th, scoring 4 runs to make it 15-9, a score that would hold up. From the fourth inning on, the Nats scored in every inning.

This kind of performance shows what the Nats are capable of. No, they will not score 15 runs every night, but if they put up the quality at bats we saw last night, they will be in good shape. This team has talent on the offensive side of the ball, we just don’t see it enough. However, we saw it in a big way last night.