Davey Martinez’s club scored 10 runs on 14 hits last night, in a 10-4 win over the Atlanta Braves, and the Washington Nationals were 7 for 24 (24?) overall with runners in scoring position and nine left on base.
The defending World Series champs connected for five doubles on the night, but scored all their runs without a home run, which might be a new reality for the lineup with the available options.
“I told the guys, with our lineup right now, without [Juan] Soto, and some of the big boys in there, we have to try to manufacture runs,” Martinez said after the game.
“We safety squeezed again tonight, we put some bunt plays on, we tried some hit and runs, we tried a bunch of different things, but just move the baseball. We talk about it all the time, stay in the middle of the field, move the baseball, and they did that tonight, so I loved what we did with our bats today, so let’s continue to do that ... it would be nice to homer every now and then though,” he added with a laugh.
Victor Robles, in his third game as the leadoff hitter this season, went 3 for 5 with two runs scored and an RBI, leaving him 6 for 13 since Martinez moved him to the top of their lineup for the doubleheader in Truist Park on Friday night.
Martinez has shaken things up in recent days, trying to get some runners on base in front of Trea Turner and Juan Soto, who were tearing things up before Soto injured his elbow.
With Adam Eaton down too, after injuring his knee in Philadelphia, the manager went with Robles up top the last three games.
“He’s been good. I looked up a bunch of stuff from when he was in the minor leagues. He led off,” Martinez said.
“I’ve been wanting to do it ... then I just decided let’s do it and see what he does. He’s been good.
“He’s been swinging at better pitches, he’s getting hit, taking his walks, bunting, trying to steal. I like him up there. I’m going to keep him up there and see where it takes us.”
Robles is back up top again. Will he and Trea Turner, who went 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored last night (leaving him with a .368 AVG on the season), continue to produce at the top of the lineup?
HERE’S THE LINEUP FOR TODAY’S SERIES FINALE WITH THE BRAVES:
Go 1-0 today...
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 6, 2020
...and we'll be 1-0 for the series.#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/NW6ImpzKO7