4 Things We Learned After Nationals Were Destroyed by Braves
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The Washington Nationals didn't necessarily come into their four-game series against the Atlanta Braves with momentum since they lost two out of three against the San Francisco Giants prior to this set getting underway, but they did win the finale and were hoping that would get them on track.
That wasn't the case, though. The Nationals dropped three of four against their NL East rivals, as they were completely overmatched during the majority of this matchup. While that shouldn't be a surprise since the Braves have been one of the best teams in the majors to start the season, what transpired during this series further shed some light on the positives and negatives of this Washington team.
Offense Continues to Be a Juggernaut
One of the most shocking developments across Major League Baseball has been how good the Nationals have performed on offense this year. Based on their spring training numbers, not a lot of people could have predicted they would be one of the best offenses in the MLB to start the season. And they kept that rolling against Atlanta, who entered this set with the best ERA in the majors.
Washington averaged 5.75 runs per game across their four contests. They have scored 144 total runs through 26 games this year, which has them top five in baseball. No matter who they have faced this season, the Nationals have found a way to score runs against high-end pitching staffs.
James Wood Will Be a Superstar
It appears like James Wood has put his early-season struggles behind him. The slugging outfielder hit another home run in the series finale on Thursday to put his total at 10. That leads the National League and is tied for second in the MLB.
At 23 years old, it's safe to say Wood is going to turn into a superstar based on what he can do at the plate. When he's swinging the way he was during this series -- he went 4-for-13 with six walks, three homers and three RBIs -- he's must-watch. And that will push him into the vaunted superstar status.
Starting Pitching Is Hit-or-Miss
In theory, the starting pitching setup Washington had for this four-game series was the best chance they had of winning this set. Not only was their ace, Cade Cavalli, scheduled to pitch. But so were veterans Zack Littell and Foster Griffin, while they avoided Miles Mikolas' turn.
Things didn't play out that way, though. Littell was lit up again and Jake Irvin was was credited with his third loss of the season. Griffin was spectacular during his outing to secure the team's lone win during this series, and Cavalli had one of his best starts of the year before getting pulled in a tie game. But the inability to get consistent performances from this rotation continues to be a major issue that hasn't been solved.
Catcher Is an Issue
The Nationals knew they had a problem at catcher this offseason. It was a main reason why Paul Toboni decided to trade for star catching prospect Harry Ford as one of his first headlining moves since becoming the team's president of baseball operations.
However, they felt it was best to go with the tandem of Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas to start the year. And after this series where the duo combined to go 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts, it's clear some changes need to be made.
While Washington's catching unit hasn't been the worst in the MLB this season when it comes to fWAR -- they rank 26th with a figure of minus-0.1 -- what they have gotten at the plate from Ruiz and Millas has been horrendous with a combined fWAR of minus-6.6.
Coming into the year, it was known that Ford would get his opportunity at some point. But based on how the catchers have performed so far, that could come sooner rather than later.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai