No offense intended:
Coach Davey Martinez’s club went 4-for-20 in the three-game set against the away team, putting runners in scoring position and leaving 23 bases on base. los angeles dodgers After losing all three games at Nationals Park, Washington’s coach spoke about the need to get the offense back on track after completing the sweep.
“We’re struggling offensively across the board right now. We can’t put anything together,” Martinez told reporters after the series finale in the capital. “We’ve got to get back on offense. We’re playing well, we’re playing good defense. We hit four double plays today. To hold that team to just two points. is not easy.
“So we have no choice but to hit. We have to get back, get aggressive and start playing baseball.”
It was a frustrating series for the captain and his club, who lost four of six games on the homestand against the Dodgers and scored a total of four points in three games against the Dodgers.
“There were moments where we could have scored,” Martinez said.
“We have to get back to ourselves, which is being aggressive and doing simple things. Today we had a chance to score just by getting guys moving and the next guy hitting a fly ball. Those are the important little things so now it’s a tie game and we have to get back there and the big boys in the middle of the lineup have to start running for us. .Big run.
“Joey [Meneses] I’m gradually getting better at swinging the bat. C.J. [Abrams] It was wonderful. The guys in the middle need to start producing points for us. ”
What do they need to change? What is not working right now?
“We have to be selective,” Martinez explained before the series finale against LA.
“You’ve got to swing on strikes, and when you get a ball you can hit, you’ve got to put it in play and hit it hard. I mean, I think that’s the key to our whole offense. Take the walk and hit it hard. Move on to the next player and try to be a little more careful with your swing.
“We can hit and we showed that, but we have to stay within ourselves.”
Martinez’s club only scored one run on five hits through seven innings against the Marlins relievers (Jesus Luzardo, who was scheduled to start, felt discomfort in his elbow and scratched it before the first of this weekend’s three-game series.), Nationals right-hander Trevor Williams held the home team to five hits and one run in five innings, and Derek Law pitched two scoreless innings to make it 1-1 after seven games at Lawndepot Park. was maintained.
The Nationals, who went 4-for-20 with runners in scoring position against Los Angeles, started the series against RISP 0-for-5 in Miami, with Joey Meneses hitting a bases-loaded double play in the sixth inning. He hit the ball and scored one point for seven points. Hits by Jacob Young and CJ Abrams, and a walk by Jesse Winker.
Meneses had another chance in the 8th inning with one out and the bases loaded, and this time he hit a two-run hit to center field, giving the Nationals a 3-1 lead over the Marlins.
“I always say, we have to stay in the middle of the field,” Martinez said after his club’s 3-1 win.
“That’s who we are. We had a lot of hits up the middle. We did a better job in the second half of the game. We stole the ball a lot today.
“But you know, it’s a good win on the road. The first game of the series.”
Meneses was in good shape heading into the game, going “9-for-19 (.474) with a double, five RBIs and two walks in the last five games,” the slugger said. The Nationals hit safely in four of five games, as highlighted in the pregame notes.
“After going 2-for-12 (.167 batting average) in the first 11 games of the season, he is now 3-for-8 (.375 batting average) with runners in scoring position during that period.”
“He’s doing what he’s supposed to do,” Martinez said. There will also be home runs. But for that to happen, we needed to start making good, solid contacts. Looking back at all of this, we’re seeing a lot of curveballs. That’s why we have to continue playing baseball. And like I said, when we start hitting the ball in the middle of the field, we’re pretty good. ”
The Nationals finished the night 9-2 with runners in scoring position and six men on base, taking the lead without converting into extra-base hits.
“I’m proud of our players,” Martinez said. “We were fighting to score, but they hung in there and we ended up scoring one more than the others. It was a good win for us.”
Luis Garza took this message to heart:
Heading into last night’s series opener against the Marlins in Miami, Luis Garcia Jr. had a seven-hit streak, going 9-for-26 (.346/.414/.346) with two RBIs, three walks, and four hits. Recorded a stolen base. The trajectory of the 23-year-old infielder’s streak.
That year, the young veteran, in his fifth year in the majors, had a batting average of .311/.346/.446 with seven doubles, one home run, and five stolen bases (in five attempts) on one hit in three at-bats. fish.
“[Hitting coach] Darnell [Coles] and [Assistant Hitting Coach] with chris johnson [García, Jr.] “He’s been working hard since January to refine his stroke and refine his approach at the plate,” Nationals GM and Director of Baseball Ops Mike Rizzo told Audacity’s Sports Junkies earlier this week. Ta. Since he’s been with us and we signed this kid, he’s really started hitting when the ball gets in the strike zone. ”
“When he’s in a pinch, he chases and gets out of the strike zone,” Rizzo continued.
“So what Lewis always tries to do is make sure he stays focused and focused on the strike zone and what are the pitches that he handles best. That’s really what our hitting guys are trying to do every day in the game. It’s really a byproduct of sitting down with him and talking about it before. [mapping] Develop a strategy for each pitcher you will face. ”
“I confirm that [Third Base & Infield Coach] ricky [Gutierrez] I talk to him every day, I sit down and talk to him every day,” manager Davey Martinez told reporters Friday afternoon.
“We give him a plan for the day, and it’s up to him to follow that plan. And when he does it, good things happen.”
Martinez spoke Thursday before the final game of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers about sending messages to Garcia from the beginning this spring and being with him every day to make sure he knows what’s expected of him.
“I worked on him pretty hard in spring training, and I think he needed that,” Martinez explained.
“Honestly, I kind of spoiled him for a while. He’s a young kid, but I told him, ‘Here’s this.’This year [five]we have to move on with it — and I’m going to go for you every day.
“You’re going to do everything the right way, you’re going to do everything the right way, you’re going to play, you’re going to hustle, you’re going to do everything you have to do,” because I Because I truly believe that he has a bright future.
“He took that to heart and got to know Ricky and really understood how to play defense, how to put his feet, how to throw the ball, how to run the bases and how to do the job well and do all the work. I did it” bat. What kind of balls does he hit well and what kind of balls does he have to hit to be successful?
“I give him full credit for really, really starting to buy in and getting all the work done. So he’s been great. The fact that he’s batting No. 4 for us says a lot. ing”
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
“Congratulations to him,” Rizzo added, echoing the captain’s praise. “He’s worked really, really hard this offseason and through spring training, and Darnell and CJ have worked really hard to refine that thought process and use the whole thing to really get his swing to a point where it stays on the baseball. I think he’s done a great job.” He’s not trying to be pull-happy on the field, and I think he’s seeing the results of that work. ”
In addition to the hitting streak, as the Nationals highlighted in the pregame notes for Friday’s game against the Marlins, in recent games Garcia said: [had] He had 10 strikeouts (24%) in his first 41 at-bats, but only three strikeouts (8%) in 37 at-bats.
Its 37 PAs (Over the past 9 games), Garcia was hitting a line of .294/.351/.382 at the plate.
“He’s finally starting to understand what he has to do every day to be successful,” Martinez said Friday. “And that was my ultimate goal with him: to show, ‘Hey, you can play here, but these things have to happen and they need to continue to happen.’ ” And he’s showing it now. I mean, I’m not talking about hitting. Because everyone will be 0-for-4. I’m talking about trivial things. Run the bases well, understand where to play, position yourself, make good throws, put your feet down when making good throws, always be ready, anticipate the ball to be hit and do it. Know what you want to do.
“He’s done everything really well so far, so I’m really proud of what he’s done and where he’s at right now. If he continues to do that, he’ll It’s going to be a good year, it really is.”
Garcia took the lead in the top of the second inning with a low slider over the middle from Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Maldonado, extending his current hitting streak to eight consecutive games.
Bonus quote: Davey Martinez on Cade Cavalli throwing MIA.
“That’s great. He pitched really well.” [Jim] Hickey. He said the ball is coming out really well. So I wanted to bring him here. He was very good friends and we were in West Palm as well. So it was good to get him here, bring him in with the players and watch him pitch in the bullpen. That’s good for him too because he’s put in a huge amount of work. he did a great job. And we’re getting closer. So I’m excited about his progress. If all goes well, I know he’ll be on the mound for us towards the middle or end of this summer. So we’re excited about it. ”
