3 Things Stood Out During Nationals' Explosive Series Win Over Rockies

Here's what stood out during the Washington Nationals' series win over the Colorado Rockies.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the second series in a row, the Washington Nationals entered the finale of their three-game set needing a victory to secure a series win. And for the second series in a row, they did exactly that.

The Nationals once again rode their explosive offense to victory on Wednesday. They also got a great start from Cade Cavalli and good performances from the relievers behind him, as Washington won 8-0 and left the Rocky Mountains with a 4-2 record to get the second half of their season underway.

What took place against the Colorado Rockies was no different than what has occurred throughout the campaign, as the offense was relentless and the pitching staff was up and down. However, there were three things that stood out during this set, and it's something that helped them win the series.

CJ Abrams Blasts Three Home Runs

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's no secret that CJ Abrams has a tendency to cool off in the second half of the season compared to the first. His career slash line before the All-Star break is .267/.333/.461 with a wRC+ of 118, while his slash line after the Midsummer Classic is .232/.283/.383 with a wRC+ of 82.

That production is night and day, and after Abrams put together a performance in the first half of the year has him on pace to have the best season he's ever had in the majors, there were concerns that he might go through another one of his cold second halves.

If that is going to happen, it will come after this Rockies series. Because he was otherworldly at the plate with three home runs and six RBIs while going 7-for-13 with a walk. Hopefully he can keep that going, as his performance on offense will directly impact if the Nationals will make the playoffs or not.

Offense Continues to Dominate

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Abrams wasn't the only one who had a good offensive series, though. Just about everyone in the lineup got involved in the scoring at some point in this matchup, as Washington scored 22 total runs for an average of 7.33 runs per game.

Success came in every form, too, as the team combined to go 36-for-108 (.333 batting average) with 15 of those hits going for extra bases. Six of those extra-base hits were home runs, and they also drew seven walks while nine players had multi-hit games across this series. That is an incredible team performance even when factoring in the hitter-friendly conditions of Coors Field.

It's been said before, but this offense is dominant. And if they continue to produce at this level for the rest of the season, then they could find themselves competing in October for the first time since 2019.

Blake Butera's Rotation Shuffle Has Worked

Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Before the second half got underway, manager Blake Butera shuffled the rotation around to have Cade Cavalli in the No. 1 spot, followed by Zack Littell and Foster Griffin in Nos. 2 and 3.

That decision has already paid off for the Nationals, as Griffin was on the mound in the finale against the Athletics with a series victory on the line, and Cavalli was handed the ball for the finale against the Rockies in the same scenario.

Both came through. And Washington, who struggled in the final games of series in the first half, has now gone 2-for-2 in those situations following the All-Star break. How often either Cavalli or Griffin will pitch in finales going forward isn't clear, but there should be plenty of overlap when it comes to those circumstances, which should give the Nationals even more chances to pick up important wins coming down the stretch.