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Washington Nationals’ lineup for 2nd of 3 with Los Angeles Dodgers + Davey Martinez on bats heating up...

After taking the series opener in LA, the Nationals try to make it two straight and four of five on the current road trip when they take on the Dodgers tonight at 9:10 PM EDT.

By Patrick Reddington
MLB: Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Will Anthony Rendon play tonight? Will Adam Eaton come off the DL? Will the Washington Nationals get their third baseman and leadoff man/left fielder back this weekend in LA?

Apparently not.

While they wait for Rendon and Eaton to return, Davey Martinez’s squad has gotten support from Ryan Zimmerman and Michael A. Taylor, who combined for four hits, two runs, and two RBIs in last night’s 5-2 win over the Dodgers.

Zimmerman is now 6 for 17 on the current road trip with a double, triple, and two home runs over the last four games, which is as many hits in the last 18 plate appearances as he had in his first 54 PAs this season.

Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez, who’s said all along that Zimmerman was making solid contact and the hits would come, reiterated last night that the 33-year-old first baseman has been swinging it well all along this season even if the results weren’t there at the start.

“Like I said, he’s had some not-so-good luck, and now the hits are starting to come for him,” Martinez told reporters after Zimmerman’s 2 for 4 game in LA.

“So, I’m happy that he’s starting to hit, you know. I told him that he’s going to hit cleanup, and he’s doing great.”

Taylor, who went 2 for 4 with a double off Clayton Kershaw last night, has hits in four of his last six games, over which he’s 6 for 20 (.300 AVG), with three of his four doubles so far in 2018.

“He’s been starting to hit the ball really well as of late,” Martinez said last night. “He’s been trying to cut down on his stride a little bit and stay in the middle of the field, and it was good to see that he was able to hit a breaking ball up the middle and get another hit there, but they’re all starting to come around, they’re swinging the bats really well.”

Will the Nationals’ bats keep it up against Dodgers’ lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu in tonight’s game?

Early this season, their numbers against lefties aren’t too promising.

As a team, the Nats have a .206/.312/.300 line vs left-handers, good for 14th/8th/15th across the line amongst NL teams.

HERE’S THE NATIONALS’ LINEUP FOR THE 2ND OF 3 WITH THE DODGERS:

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