The Nationals\u2019 offense found the perfect pick-me-up opponent in the Rockies to cure their offensive woes.<\/p>\n
With Lu\u00eds Garcia Jr. and Curtis Mead gone, and James Wood on the 10-day injured list (oblique strain), the hitters responsible for 70 of the team\u2019s 184 home runs this season are gone. The only team to have more homers in the first half of the season was the Yankees.<\/p>\n
Without that power in the lineup, manager Blake Butera acknowledged during the team\u2019s weekend series against the Marlins that the offense was going to have to look different. For four innings, the offense looked listless against a downtrodden Rockies team. The Nationals weren\u2019t putting together poor at-bats and going up to the plate hacking, but the results weren\u2019t there and they were being no-hit through four innings.<\/p>\n
But the dam broke after Jacob Young\u2019s fifth-inning leadoff single. Jorbit Vivas followed suit with a first-pitch single to give Washington a great scoring opportunity. Then, Nasim Nu\u00f1ez executed a well-placed bunt toward third baseman Willi Castro. Nu\u00f1ez\u2019s blazing speed caused Castro to rush the throw and it missed the glove of Connor Norby, who was covering first base, and trickled into foul territory to score two runs and tie the game for the Nationals.<\/p>\n
All-Star CJ Abrams continued the scoring binge with an RBI double and subsequent steal of third base. He then scored on an RBI groundout by Abimelec Ortiz. <\/p>\n
They landed another blow when Daylen Lile recorded a two-out double and elected to steal third. Rockies catcher Brett Sullivan tried to gun him down, but Sullivan\u2019s throwing error allowed Lile to score the fifth run of the frame.<\/p>\n
The Nationals\u2019 version of small ball in the fifth inning \u2014 two stolen bases and just one ball hit with an exit velocity above 100 mph \u2014 propelled the team to a 13-3 win over the Rockies, snapping a four-game losing streak. Staff ace Cade Cavalli delivered another brilliant start, throwing six innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts and a walk. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne small mistake on their end ended up being huge,\u201d Butera said. \u201cWe were able to take advantage of that and capitalize, and I think that\u2019s what good teams do. I was happy we could continue to roll with that momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Energy was a big word in the Nationals\u2019 clubhouse after Monday\u2019s win. The team had been lacking it after posting a 1-8 record on their nine-game road trip. Abrams returning from an ankle sprain boosted the morale, as did Cavalli being on the mound and Lile going 3-for-5 with five RBIs.<\/p>\n
Abrams said that it\u2019s fun being in the game with Cavalli on the mound because the right-hander has electric stuff and intense competitiveness. Feeding off Cavalli\u2019s energy led to the five-run fifth inning. <\/p>\n
Sensing the team\u2019s verve was low to begin the game, Cavalli walked around the dugout to just be around the guys and lift their spirits around the third and fourth inning.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure enough, in the fifth, it just all happened,\u201d Cavalli said. \u201cWe popped off.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Nationals\u2019 lineup resembled its first-half ways for the first time in a long time, drawing eight walks and recording 13 hits. They were patient, opportunistic and did damage when they received a pitch they could drive. It was a much-needed response from the team after the lackluster road trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been struggling to score runs, right?\u201d Butera said. \u201cOnce we cracked it open a little bit, and some runs started across the plate, you could sense some energy, almost like a weight off the shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re gonna go through these these struggles throughout the course of the season. And like I said, you want to make sure the the times you\u2019re not going well are shorter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twenty-nine games remain in the Nationals\u2019 season, a campaign that has been filled with electric highs and crushing lows. But this isn\u2019t a team riding out the end of its contention window; most of the roster is younger than 30, and all of the key cornerstones going forward are in their mid-20s. <\/p>\n