Nationals’ offense returns to form late in a 9-4 victory over the Padres

For six innings, the Nationals looked much like the old versions of themselves. Granted, they were facing one of the better pitchers in the game. But they hit the ball on the ground. And they didn’t take advantage of the few opportunities afforded them.

Then, in the seventh inning, the Nationals reminded the fans at Nationals Park why they have been the best offense in baseball this season. They were patient. They put pressure on the Padres’ defense with their baserunning.

And the Nationals scored six runs that frame in their 9-4 victory Saturday afternoon. Curtis Mead’s two-run double in the bottom of the eighth was insurance.

“When it rains, it pours with our offense,” catcher Drew Millas said. “It’s contagious. We did a great job of that tonight, just one after another.”

For six innings, the Nationals struggled to find answers against Padres starter Michael King. Slowly, though, their at-bats improved as the outing progressed. And they broke through by barely hitting the ball out of the infield and sticking to the strengths that have carried them — timely baserunning and improved plate discipline.

“Love the at-bats but also just loved the way that we played the game,” manager Blake Butera said. “That’s what we want our identity to be.

Their baserunning run value (5) is the second best in the majors. Their walk percentage has increased by two points from last year, the third-best improvement in the majors. Both were on display.

CJ Abrams opened the frame with a single, then the following sequence ensued: fielder’s choice, walk, RBI hit by pitch, RBI fielder’s choice and RBI walk. Just like that, the Nationals had a 4-3 lead.

On both fielder’s choices, a Nationals baserunner’s hard slide forced a mistake from a defender. Abrams’ slide resulted in Fernando Tatis Jr. throwing the ball away on the first. Dylan Crews’ slide resulted in Xander Bogaerts missing the base attempting to start a double play, something Crews didn’t even notice until he watched the replay.

“That’s the beauty of this game is that there’s just so many ways you can score runs,” Crews said. “That’s a huge thing in this game is creating momentum and just put traffic on the bases as much as you can, especially with a good pitcher like King and a good team like that.”

Luis García Jr. tacked on a two-run single, and Daylen Lile beat out what was nearly an inning-ending double play to tack on another run and push Washington ahead 7-3 after a slow start.

Through the first five innings, offense came via four solo home runs; three came from San Diego’s struggling veteran hitters.

Xander Bogearts launched a solo home run in the top of the second. Millas responded with a solo shot in the third to even the score.

Manny Machado, who entered Saturday’s game batting .171, hit a fourth-inning homer off the left field foul pole. Tatis hit his first homer of the season in the fifth, flinging his bat into the air and looking to the heavens before beginning his trot.

Meanwhile, the Nationals looked uncomfortable against King. And, uncharacteristically, they kept hitting the ball on the ground.

Over the last few seasons, the Nationals have struggled to elevate the baseball as a group. From 2022-25, they hit the highest percentage of ground balls (46.3) in baseball as they attempted to develop their next core of successful major league hitters.

The reasons for that vary, from the players they acquired to the philosophies being preached at all levels of their system and in the major leagues.

This season, though, there’s been a concerted effort to create consistent messaging on modern hitting philosophies. The Nationals’ ground ball rate is 43.3%, 14th in the major leagues.

Seven of the 11 position players on the roster with at least 50 plate appearances have dropped their ground ball percentages this season. Their percentage decrease is the second best in baseball behind the Reds.

King, though, has induced groundouts on 50% of balls put in play this season, the highest number of his career. Millas said King likes to use the outer half of the plate against lefties, painting the corners and creating deception.

The Nationals recorded nine groundouts to the right side of the infield in the first four innings, with many left-handed hitters rolling over. But they had more success later in the game.

“He does a good job getting ground balls, pretty good infield defense, too,” Millas said. “A ball on the ground is their friend in that case. ... Thankfully, we put something together toward the later innings.”

The Nationals nearly ran into trouble in the eighth when Machado hit a two-out double and Gus Varland walked the next two hitters to load the bases with a three-run lead.

But Clayton Beeter entered and induced a groundout. Mead’s double kept the Padres more than an arm’s length apart. And, in two innings, the Nationals looked like themselves again.

“It’s cool because we stayed in the game,” García said. “We know we’re coming to play nine innings. We don’t play one, two, three, five innings. We come to play nine innings.”

This article has been updated.