ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Perhaps a year ago, if Nick Martinez had thrown a four-seam fastball up in the strike zone, Dylan Crews would not have done what he did in the fourth inning Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field: lace a frozen rope into left-center field for an RBI double.
He might have swung through it. Or maybe he would’ve hit the ball on the ground, ending the inning. Instead, Crews provided a glimpse of what the Nationals hope he’ll produce with more at-bats in the major leagues.
Crews finished 1-for-4 with that double and three strikeouts as the Nationals fell 4-3 to the Rays and failed to earn a series win.
James Wood opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the third. Andrew Alvarez retired the first eight hitters he faced until he allowed back-to-back doubles to Taylor Walls and Yandy Díaz that evened the score.
CJ Abrams hit his third home run in as many days in the sixth to give Washington a two-run lead, but the Rays answered with two homers, including a two-run blast by Jonny DeLuca in the seventh surrendered by Orlando Ribalta.
“One series is not going to define anything for us,” Ribalta said. “Just going to keep playing hard and keep winning. That’s why there’s still a lot of baseball left to play.”
The Rays left seven runners on base and missed opportunities with runners in scoring position but got enough timely hits.
As for Crews, his day was a microcosm of his offensive performance since he was recalled May 19.
“That double ended up being huge for us, driving in a run there,” manager Blake Butera said. “Had a few strikeouts ... but he faced some tough right-handed arms that made some good pitches against him. He’s going to continue to get better, and he’ll improve.”
After he had a poor statistical spring, the Nationals optioned Crews to Triple-A Rochester at the end of camp. The hope was he would focus on elevating the baseball and limiting his swings outside the zone.
Crews chased 29.5% of the time a season ago; the major league average is around 28%. Last season, he hit 50.2% of his balls in play on the ground; the major league average is 44.2.
Crews had said over the last few weeks that he’s attempted to repeat his pregame routines. With some mechanical changes in Rochester, he has started to see better outcomes.
“Something that I’ve taken a lot of pride in and something that’s working,” Crews said after Saturday’s win in which he homered. “We’re going to stick to it. ... I’m hitting the ball hard, doing what I need to do to help the team win, and we’re going to keep it going.”
After 28 games, Crews is batting .200 with a .607 OPS. His expected numbers are higher, suggesting he’s been unlucky and the law of averages will eventually work in his favor. Beyond that, his advanced statistics suggest his swing adjustments are having their intended effect.
Crews’ fourth-inning double had an exit velocity of 107.6 mph. His average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage are up from last season. His average launch angle has jumped from 8.5 to 12.7, while his ground ball percentage (41.5) has dipped below league average. His in-zone swing percentage has increased, while his whiff rate has dropped. He’s hitting better against breaking balls.
In his other three at-bats, he expanded the zone and struck out swinging, showing there is room for improvement. Crews’ chase rate is 37.6%. He’s batting .191 against fastballs, though his expected batting average is .253. He has only two walks this season.
In many ways, his Sunday performance served as both a reminder of who he can be and who he still is. The same could be said for the Nationals, who flew home after failing to win their sixth straight road series.
After the game, Butera had a look of frustration, his face red as he talked about how meaningful games can swing on one play. Yet he seemed encouraged that teams aren’t taking his club lightly.
He feels opponents have been throwing their best matchups at the Nationals over the last few weeks. Now it’s up to his staff to make adjustments. A crucial four-game home series against the Phillies, who are two games ahead of them in the NL East, awaits.
“We’ll leave here frustrated losing that one run-game today and having a chance to leave here winning two out of three,” Butera said. “We know we got another challenge in front of us. It’s not going to get easier as we go. You can either back down, or you can take this as, ‘This is fun, let’s go.’”
Note
DJ Herz didn’t make his second rehab start for Low-A Fredericksburg on Sunday following a setback in his last start Tuesday.
Butera said Herz experienced forearm tightness and there’s a good chance he will be down “for the next couple weeks.”
Herz debuted in 2024 and was in competition to make the team’s opening day roster in 2025 before he underwent Tommy John surgery in April of that year. He began throwing off a mound this March during spring training and made two scoreless rehab starts in the Florida Complex League before his latest start.
This article has been updated.
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