Washington Nationals keep dominance afloat as they head into the post-season fast-MLB Update
The last two series that the Washington Nationals played against the Miami Marlins and the Houston Astros did not give any sign that they have slowed down in their quest for making it to the play-offs. Instead, they are getting better after the completion
of every series.
Fortunately for the team, some of their players which were injured before have joined now and are performing at par with the rest of the team-mates.
When the season started, the Nationals were lifted largely by their strong rotation. While their offence suffered serious loop-holes, the starters like Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez did not let them lose sight of the victories. Even in some games the
least amount of support from the offence ended up witnessing the team winning.
Gradually, far from heading toward decline, their roster experienced entries of previously injured players. The return of the likes of Michael Morse and Ryan Zimmerman changed the whole scenario of their offence.
Without these two players, the Nationals relied on Adam LaRoche and Bryce Harper offensively. However whenever they struggled, the offence as a whole floundered. Therefore, under such circumstances, the bulk of the task was carried out by their pitchers.
Currently, the Nationals have achieved an ideal combination in their line-up. If Harper is quiet in one game, Zimmerman steps up and helps the team post sufficient number of runs on the scoreboard. Similarly, when LaRoche has a hitless game, Morse jumps
in and exhibits his slugging mastery.
It is for the same reason that in spite of seeing a decline in the production of Harper in the last couple of weeks, a substantive impact on the team’s performance has not been realised.
As witnessed in the recently completed series against Astros, the Nationals are always at-ease with regard to winning the matches. During the series there were situations which provided Astros opportunities to clinch victories, but thanks to the under pressure
hits from the Nationals’ offence they could not make the most of them.
If the Nationals keep going at the same rate, it is almost certain that they will be playing in the post season.
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