Life is full of surprises. It’s also full of things that aren’t surprising. One of the things that has recently moved into the latter category is the Nationals crushing the collective soul of the Atlanta Braves. Friday night’s 7-6 win – keyed off by a two-out Clint Robinson RBI single in the ninth inning – is only the latest in what has become a pattern of dominance exerted by the Nats over their division rivals.
In the 2016 season Atlanta has only gotten the better of Washington once. The Nationals have taken 10 of 11 this year, and stretching back to the 2015 season have won 24 of 30. As a fan, the Braves used to infuriate me. They were a constant thorn in the side of my favorite team, but in the last couple of years the thorn has lost all of its poison and I almost feel sorry for those fans and their melancholy Tomahawk Chop.
Almost.
Despite extending their streak of spanking the Braves, there was a Nationals streak that ended in Atlanta on Friday night. Jayson Werth went 0-for-5, which ended an on-base streak that was starting to look like it would never be stopped. Before Friday night’s performance, Werth had reached base in a franchise record 46 straight games. Werth (who I predicted would have a renaissance this season) has been an important leader for the 2016 Nationals and a solid presence that any team needs in order to make a successful run into October.
But along with great veteran leaders, success for a Major League team also depends on mixing in young talent at just the right time. Trea Turner appears to be just that for the Nats. Not only does he have Usain Bolt-like performances on the base paths, he has also been electric in the batter’s box. A .324 average so far this season was bolstered by a 3-for-4 showing in Atlanta on Friday night.
Turner also has the ability to make eye-popping plays on defense, and in general just makes other teams uncomfortable because you never know exactly what he’s going to do. Perhaps the most important side effect of Turner’s uncanny knack for getting on base coupled with his quickness is that Dusty Baker finally has someone he can put in the top spot to make teams pay for pitching to Bryce Harper. Turner scored twice on Friday night off of Harper’s bat – once on a groundout and once on a single.
My love affair with Turner notwithstanding, I believe that balance is important to achieve any kind of sustained success in the Major Leagues. The Nationals have managed to be successful so far this season despite some ups and downs because they have an excellent mixture of roleplayers like Robinson, veteran talent like Werth, and up-and-comers like Turner. Having an excellent pitching staff and a manager who knows what he’s about doesn’t hurt either.
If this team is ready to make a World Series run in 2016 look for Robinson, Werth, and Turner to be major contributors — all in their own way — down the stretch.
Tags: Atlanta Braves, Braves, Jayson Werth, Nationals, Nats, Trea Turner, Washington Nationals
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