Nationals offense continues humming with hitters stepping up to larger roles

The Nationals’ four-run sixth inning almost didn’t happen in Saturday’s 8-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Dylan Crews fell behind 0-2 before taking a ball. The home-plate umpire called strike three on Chase Burns’ slider that was out of the zone, but Crews hesitated to make the challenge signal. The ball two call seemed so obvious he was initially stumped.

“I was thinking, ‘There’s no way that was a strike,’” Crews told The Banner. “I wasn’t really sure if I should challenge right there. I wish I did it earlier, honestly, looking back, but I was able to get the challenge off, and he gave it to me, so I was surprised about that and it ended up working in my favor.”

Crews fouled off a four-seam fastball in the zone before knocking a sharp line drive to left field. Manager Blake Butera said Crews’ leadoff double “sparked the offense.”

It was a banner showing by the Nationals as Crews, Daylen Lile and Keibert Ruiz recorded hits, and the first-base platoon of the ebullient Abimelec Ortiz and Andrés Chaparro combined for five RBIs.

Getting other contributors is critical for the Nationals (59-61) as they enter the remaining 42 games on their schedule. Without Curtis Mead and Luis García Jr., there’s a void in the lineup. But their absence is an opportunity for others, and the Nationals need someone to rise to the challenge so the lineup maintains its potency.

“The good thing about this lineup and this organization is that we have guys that were in the minor leagues that are producing, and so they can come up whenever and fit right into this lineup that we got,” Crews said. “It’s unfortunate that we lost [Mead and García], but we know we got guys that can produce just as well that are coming up.”

And that was the calculus by president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. He bet that, by subtracting from the lineup and supplementing the pitching staff, the Nationals would be better in the short term and long term. The organization has made significant strides with its hitting infrastructure.

Mead was a former top prospect who failed to find his footing in Chicago and Tampa Bay before settling in with the Nationals. García was able to pair his impressive bat-to-ball skills with more damage by working on his pitch selection and pulling the ball more in the air.

Both are undeniably talented players who deserve the bulk of the credit for their offensive contributions. But the organization has a solid infrastructure in place that it believes can help maximize its hitters’ potential.

“It doesn’t happen often,” Toboni said of Mead’s ascension. “It’s on us to identify the right opportunities in order to do that and then make sure that everyone that surrounds the player is locked in on what the plan is, and it takes the player being aligned as well. And that’s part of our job, too, is to help the player understand, like, hey, this is how we can see it really work. And then it’s just about putting in the work and supporting and challenging each other to hopefully realize the best version of a player.”

It’s a limited sample, but Ortiz has impressed early in his big league career. He has a mature approach and has regularly made loud contact in his second stint. In Sunday’s 7-1 win, he hit his second homer.

He rarely swings at pitches out of the zone or strikes out, sports impressive bat speed, and is posting impressive barrel rates. The data backs up the type of hitter he’s been throughout his minor league career. Now, with the extended runway, the organization will get a good look at Ortiz, who was part of the MacKenzie Gore trade.

“Just be patient, and enjoy every moment here,” Ortiz said.

The lineup has thrived because it has multiple contributors in addition to its two superstars, CJ Abrams and James Wood. Chaparro has started to emerge as an option against lefties — even earning at-bats against right-handers — posting a .310 batting average with five homers and 19 RBIs in the second half. He and Ortiz complement each other.

If the offense maintains its production down the stretch, the Nationals will be competitive because the bullpen is trending in the right direction with some of the trade-deadline additions (Yovanny Cruz and Jake Bird) paying early dividends.​

When the trades occurred last week, Toboni said it could open opportunities for players to step into new roles. Butera said that “going off the last three days, if they continue to trend in this direction, absolutely,” about whether he’s seeing players maximize their playing time.

After Sunday’s win, the Nationals are four games back in the wild-card race. The team is well aware of where it is in the standings and wants to apply pressure on the teams in front of it.

“It’s going to take every single guy on this roster contributing for us to make a run at this thing,” Butera said.