Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats; With enhancement graphic added from Statcast
Both teams play with the same weather conditions, and the same umpires, yet the past week, the Washington Nationals keep coming up short at the most critical times. The team batting average is sinking like a lead weight to a .222 mark. Since the 1-0 win on April 19, the Nats are averaging just 1.875 runs scored per game.
The batting order during any given game might feature as many as five players batting under the Mendoza line, and the DH is supposed to hit better than pitchers, right? Well the $15 million Nelson Cruz is batting an identical mark to what Stephen Strasburg put up in 2019. Actually the former Silver Slugger has three seasons when he batted .200 or better.
Could it be that all of these poor numbers are just a series of bad luck and BABIP that has to get better? You would think. Lucius Fox has a BABIP of .000 and same for Dee Strange-Gordon. Riley Adams (.125), Alcides Escobar (.175), and Cruz (.185) are each over 100 points under the MLB average for BABIP which stands at .286. Yadiel Hernandez is the first player this year who has hit a ball at 107.3 MPH or greater with a 30° launch angle and not been rewarded with a home run. Go figure.
The Nats seven game losing streak could be halted today with a Patrick Corbin gem, so we will see what happens as Corbin enters with the worst ERA since the beginning of the 2021 season for qualified pitchers at a combined 6.22 ERA. With batting averages down this year, Corbin’s WHIP is an eye-popping 2.561. That is the equivalent of loading the bases every other inning and two men on-base for the other inning. No wonder why his ERA is 11.20. Expect a quick hook for Corbin today from manager Dave Martinez if his lefty gets in trouble.
For the Nats’ lineup, they face a lefty today with Trevor Rogers on the mound for the Marlins. You might expect Lane Thomas and Alcides Escobar to start, but Martinez is sticking the Fox who still doesn’t have a hit in his short MLB career as well as the lefty Hernandez.
Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals
Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
1st Pitch: 1:05 pm EDT
TV: MASN2, Bally Sports Sun, MLB app (out-of-market only)
Nats Radio: 106.7 The Fan and via the MLB app
Lineups (subject to change without notice):
Fox in again, Yadiel against a lefty, and Corbin on the mound. https://t.co/X7gFLQL7or
— Talk Nats (@TalkNats) April 28, 2022
