Nats Nightly: Wilson Ramos puts together third career four-hit game in Nationals' win

Before last night, Wilson Ramos hadn't had four-hit game since September 15, 2013, when the Washington Nationals' catcher went 4 for 4 in an 11-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. That was the second four-hit game of his career.

The first came in the now-28-year-old backstop's MLB debut on May 2, 2010, when he was still a Minnesota Twin.

Ramos struggled at the plate last season, when he was finally able to play a full season's worth of games after a number of injury-shortened seasons, but early this year, he's off to a strong start with multi-hit games in three of the Nats' first five games.

Last night's 4 for 4 performance left him 8 for 21 so far this season.

Ramos hit a two-out single to right in his first at bat in the bottom of the first, loaded the bases with a one-out single in the third, drove in a run with a grounder to short in the fifth inning that broke up a 4-4 tie and drove in another run in the seventh with a two-out fly to short right field.

He also threw out debuting Braves' speedster Mallex Smith when the young outfielder tried to steal second base in the top of the fourth.

Not a bad night for the Nationals' catcher.

"It feels great right now," Ramos told MASN's Dan Kolko after the Nationals' 6-4 win.

"Happy because I helped my team win this game. it's a very exciting day when you go 4 for 4. It made me feel very excited. Helped my team and that's a very important thing right now."

"Wilson has been a little frustrated lately and he went to work with [hitting coach] Rick Schu," Dusty Baker explained.

"Rick is real good. He sent him some film or some things to look at. Usually it's a minor correction. You look for something major and it's usually something minor that's happening in your stroke."

Ramos won't however, get an opportunity to see if he can extend it to 5 for his last 5 tonight. Baker said he told his catcher he would get the night off.

"He hit the ball good tonight and it's going to be difficult," Baker said, "but I already had told him that he's not playing tomorrow. I'm playing Lobaton, he's catching Gio tomorrow, but I told him -- I thought in my mind Gio is pitching today, and I told him he was off today, and then I reversed it and called them both into the office, so good thing I reversed it because he had a great day. They understood."

Jose Lobaton gets his first start of the season tonight. Wilson Ramos will try to pick up where he left off on Wednesday in the third game of the Nationals' four-game set with the Braves.

We talked about the Nationals' big win, Ramos's big game and more on last night's edition of Nats Nightly:

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