Nationals Monday Fastball: Notable Stats From Grueling 17-Game Stretch
In this story:
The Washington Nationals wrapped up their grueling 17 games in 17 days stretch on Sunday.
During that time, they ranged from playing baseball's best team in the Atlanta Braves to playoff hopefuls like the Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates to a fellow rebuilding team in the Chicago White Sox.
There was a lot that took place during these two-and-a-half weeks, as the bullpen and starting rotation had their troubles, but also had some bright spots, while the offense was red-hot for the majority of the time. Now that the grueling stretch is over, these are the stats that stand out to me.
Winning Record
Despite dropping a series against the Giants and then losing three out of four against the Braves, the Nationals ended up having a winning record across these 17 games. They finished at 9-8, which is massive for this young team based on who they played.
Everything started with a sweep over the Brewers, which is something that hadn't happened in 15 years. If it wasn't for those three statement victories, then Washington wouldn't have ended up on the right side of this stretch. But their series win over the White Sox can't be discounted, either. Washington's two extra-inning victories were impressive after dropping the first game against Chicago following frustrating matchups against San Francisco and Atlanta. And their performance in the Windy City allowed them to enter their day off with a record of 13-16.
85 Runs Scored
The Nationals scored 85 runs. That put them sixth in Major League Baseball during this time. They scored five runs per game, which powered them to their wins and kept things competitive for the most part in their losses.
How this offense has performed to start the season has been a huge story. Not only have they shown the ability to hit for power, but they have also consistently created traffic on the basepaths by stringing together hits. They have been one of the best units in the MLB, and during this 17-game stretch, just about everyone throughout the lineup contributed to their success.
BABIP of .270 Suggests Nationals Were Unlucky
One thing that really stood out to me when looking at the stats from this stretch was the fact that Washington was so lethal when it came to putting runs up on the board, but they also only had a BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play) of .270 as a team.
That suggests the Nationals were actually a bit unlucky at the plate during these 17 games, which means what they did on offense is not only sustainable, but it could also be improved upon. Of course, much of the fireworks came from James Wood and CJ Abrams being sensational at the plate. So how the lineup performs when those two go into a slump will be interesting to monitor. However, if the BABIP of the team gets up to the league average mark of .300, then they should be able to continue their success even when their two stars are cold.
Bullpen Had an ERA of 4.55
There's no doubt that the bullpen and their struggles were a point of frustration throughout these 17 consecutive games. However, I was surprised to see that their ERA of 4.55 during this time was 16th in the majors. Not only does that indicate this is not the worst relief staff ever put together like some fans might have been led to believe. But it also is a sign that there is an ability to at least be average when compared to other bullpens across the MLB.
Time will tell if Washington's relief arms can continue the form they had across this grueling stretch where they faced some of the best lineups in baseball. But it's notable that they finished middle of the road compared to others despite the negativity that surrounded them.
Starting Pitchers Struggled With a 4.93 ERA
On the flip side, it was not a good showing from the starting rotation. They finished with a 4.93 ERA across these 17 games, which put them 24th in the majors. And what caught my eye was the fact that this could have been even worse with that unit's expected ERA sitting at 5.16.
A main cause of these inflated numbers was due to the struggles of Zack Littell. The veteran has not been good for the Nationals since he was signed, but he has an idea of how he can turn things around. A good sign is that Foster Griffin continues to be elite for Washington and Cade Cavalli posted his career-best start with 10 strikeouts during his last outing. Hopefully Cavalli and Littell can figure it out and become consistent for this starting staff going forward.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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