The Nationals took game two of a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs July 5. With the win, the worst that Washington can do now is a series split.
The Nats scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, as the first three batters all hit singles, but no runs. Left fielder Laynce Nix then hit a routine groundball to Cubs’ second baseman Jeff Baker, who promptly threw the ball well over the head of the shortstop Darwin Barney to allow two runs to score. Catcher Wilson Ramos hit an infield single three batters later to score third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.
Chicago got two runs back in the top of the sixth as Aramis Ramirez, who was named player of the week earlier in the day, hit a two-run home run to left field to cut the Nats’ lead to 3-2. But that would be the final score as the Nationals’ bullpen threw three and two-thirds innings of shutout ball.
Nationals’ lefty Ross Detwiler made the spot start on Tuesday because the team played a double-header against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, leaving the Nats’ pitching staff shorthanded. Considering that the Cubs are a team full of right-handed bats, Detwiler had a very solid outing.
“He pitched a great ballgame,” Nats’ Manager Davey Johnson said. “They’re a good offensive club and they wear out lefthanders. He made quality pitches all night.”
Even though Washington has won the first two games of the series, Johnson is still not happy with the production on offense. And the player who best personifies the team’s struggles is right fielder Jayson Werth, who signed with the team for seven years and $126 million last offseason. After going 0-4 on Tuesday with two strikeouts, Werth is hitting .221 with 10 home runs, 30 RBIs and a .328 OBP. On top of that, Nats fans are beginning to boo him.
“I think he’s bottomed out,” Johnson said. “I thought he was in a good frame of mind the last three or four days. I think he’s comfortable … He’s a heck of a ballplayer, and I know he’s gonna start doing things he’s capable of doing.”
blasky@theeagleonline.com
And they will need him to. Werth has the potential to impact the rest of the lineup in a positive way when he is right. Unfortunately for the Nationals though, he’s been wrong for most of the year.
