Nationals Come Up Short of Making Club History During Impressive Win Over Braves

If there's one thing the Washington Nationals have shown this season, it's that they have the ability to bounce back from poor performances.

Following a mistake-filled display in Game 1 of this four-game set against the Atlanta Braves on Monday, the Nationals turned in what might have been their most complete performance of the campaign to secure an impressive 11-4 victory on Tuesday.

Not only did the offense have another explosive showing at the plate, but they also got a good outing from their pitching staff, as Foster Griffin was solid with three earned runs allowed across six innings and the bullpen gave up just one earned run on their end. What drove Washington's offensive success was their ability to draw walks, as the 12 free passes they drew were just shy of setting a new club record.

Nationals Come Up Short of Setting Club Record

Washington Nationals outfielders James Wood and Jacob Young | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Per Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal, the record for most walks in a game by a Nationals team is 14. That was set back in 2018 against the Braves on Sept. 15. The 12 walks Washington drew on Tuesday was tied for the second-most in club history.

Leading the way was James Wood. The star slugger walked four times, which brings his walk rate on the season up to 15.2% and puts him in the 86th percentile. Despite his high strikeout numbers, the 23-year-old has always had an innate ability to draw a walk, and that was on display on Tuesday. Daylen Lile was second on the team with two walks during this contest. Then it was Jacob Young, CJ Abrams, Nasim Nunez, Jorbit Vivas and the pinch-hitters of Brady House and Curtis Mead who all had one apiece.

It was a total team effort to reach that number on Tuesday, and it was something the Nationals have worked on when it comes to their overall offensive approach at the plate.

Nationals Continue to Evolve on Offense This Season

Washington Nationals first baseman Curtis Mead and third baseman Brady House | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Coming into Tuesday's game, Washington only had a walk rate of 8.4% as a team, which put them 25th in the majors. So to see them draw 12 walks was a surprise. However, manager Blake Butera stated after the win that being patient was part of their gameplan, and it worked out tremendously when it came to drawing walks and putting runs up on the board.

"12 walks. Just really proud of our guys. Just executing their plan waiting for a good pitch to hit," he said. "I think our hitters did a really good job of making [Reynaldo Lopez] come to them and laying off some pitches just outside the zone. Some really close pitches, too, to get him out of the game early. And then continued that same approach with the relievers they brought in, as well."

Under hitting coach Matt Borgschulte, this young lineup has really taken to what he's instilled. After 24 games played, the Nationals lead the MLB in runs scored (136). They are also tied for sixth in batting average (.253) and are fifth in OPS (.738), which shows they have the ability to hit for average and power.

It's been impressive to watch this offense work. And despite coming up short of making club history, the 12 walks they drew on Tuesday was another example of how this team is growing under the new coaching staff.

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