Monday Quickie - Alive

While you were sleeping the Nats got in good with your family and maybe began a relationship with your brother and they also won 2 of 3 in San Francisco. They bashed out 45 hits including 10 doubles which would be 23% of all their hits and 24% of all their doubles this season. Robles had the best series going 8-12 with 2 walks and raising his OPS from .443 (which is hideous) to .662 (which is perfectly ok for a defense first CF). Alcides Escobar went 5-8 to bring his 2022 status to "he's so bad" from "actively crying looking at his stats".  Lucius Fox got his first hit ever (great now send him down). And Yadiel Hernandez continued to hit going 5-8 with 3 doubles. It wasn't all good news though as Nelson Cruz went 1-13 and finds himself at the Escobar line. That line is not good for a aged SS who is no longer a top notch fielder. It's alarming for a DH. 

Pitching wise the Gray Ace WWI fighter pilot hero and Nationals #1 starter looked very good. SF is a perfect place for him as his issues are primarily homers and the park dulls those, even more than they are being dulled by whatever shenanigans are being pulled by MLB this time. With no balls going out of the park his FBs found gloves and his walks stayed on the basepaths. Aaron Sanchez pitched like he belonged in the rotation which is good because the Nats REALLY needed that. Rainey keeps looking good and Davey might have finally used up Arano. 

Day off today and then the Rockies. The Rockies have been an early surprise (13-9) but I don't buy it. It's a mix of luck (5-0 in 1 run games), over performance from a middling rotation (which got crushed by Philly), and some scheduling luck (after a good start with a series win vs LA have played TEX, DET, CIN, - three bottom dwelling teams, CHC - not good, and PHI - who they went 2-5 against). They might be a .500 team so the Nats could take this short series. Plus it's Soto in Colorado and he's gotta heat up sometime.