Finally some good vibes for the Nats! The Washington Nationals got back into the win column thanks to home run power and quality pitching, two things we have not seen enough of lately. They jumped on the Giants early and did not relinquish their lead.
On the third pitch of the game, James Wood did something he had not done since July 9th, hit a home run. As had become his trademark early in the year, Wood launched a fly ball the other way into the left field seats. Seeing that beautiful back side bomb from James Wood was a joy.
Wood is starting to get his mojo back. While he has still been swinging and missing, the extra base hits are coming back for him. Wood has two doubles and a homer in the last two games now. It is too early to declare him back just yet, but we are seeing some real signs of life which is great.
Wood was not the only Nat to bring the thunder though. In the top of the third, two of the Nats veterans went back to back. First, Paul DeJong launched a homer to left center to double the Nats lead. Then Josh Bell launched a homer from the right side of the plate.
Despite playing better ball since his abysmal April, the switch hitting Bell has done most of his damage from the left side. Even after his homer today, Bell is only hitting .149 with 2 homers and a .537 OPS as a righty. From the left side, he is hitting .252 with a .769 OPS. Since May 1st, Bell’s OPS is over .800.
Even with the power, the story of the day was the pitching, particularly from Brad Lord. In a rotation that has seen a lot of regression this year, Lord has been a huge bright spot. He has bounced back and forth from the bullpen to the rotation and has thrived in both roles.
On the season, his ERA is down to 3.29 in 85 innings after producing six innings of one run ball today. The 18th rounder who worked at Home Depot in the offseason is the best pitcher the Nationals have currently.
In the modern MLB, you need arms like Brad Lord that are like Swiss army knives. He is good in the bullpen and he is good as a starter. With his success in the rotation though, he should be a starter for the foreseeable future. His fastball is a plus pitch thanks to his improved velocity and his low arm slot. If he can improve his secondary pitches, Lord has a shot to be a real impact arm, which is obviously a tremendous outcome for an 18th rounder.
The bullpen was also solid, even if there were a few nervy moments. Konnor Pilkington was nails in a 1-2-3 inning. However, the 8th was an adventure as Cole Henry did not have it today. He only got one out and loaded the bases.
New closer Jose A. Ferrer was asked to get a five out save, coming in with the bases juiced. Given all the losing, he was well rested. Despite allowing a sac fly, Ferrer got out of the inning with a 4-2 lead intact. The ninth was nervy as well, with Ferrer allowing a couple hits. However, he induced a game-ending double play out of Patrick Bailey.
This was the Nationals most complete performance in a while. The bats did their part, as did the pitching staff who was supported by solid defense. Nats fans could get used to performances like that. Now let’s get that series win tomorrow.