Offensive woes are situational

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Steve Lombardozzi is tagged out on a seventh-inning double play yesterday.

The 2013 Nationals, it's no secret by now, don't score very many runs. The Nats score, to be precise, 3.49 runs per game. Only the wretched Marlins, at 3.13, are worse at crossing the plate.

What's the best way to score runs? Put a lot of men on base. Not surprisingly, the Nationals also rank with the dregs of the league in this department, their .292 on-base percentage better than only the Mets and Marlins.

Here's the problem: Aside from the pending return of Bryce Harper — and, to a lesser extent, Wilson Ramos — there isn't much the Nationals can do to put more guys on base. They can hope underachieving regulars like Ryan Zimmerman, Denard Span and Jayson Werth start performing better and start reaching base at clips more in line with their career norms. But you don't just turn from one of the league's worst offensive clubs to one of its best

Game 68: Nats at Indians

Photo by USA Today

What a game it was between these two last night. The Nationals smacked five homers off just eight hits, including Anthony Rendon's go-ahead shot to opposite field in the ninth. In his first game hitting second in the order, the rookie certainly made his case to stay. And after seeing his offense wake up after a bit of a lineup change, Davey Johnson is going with a similar look today.

The Nationals will have Stephen Strasburg (3-5, 2.54 ERA) back who was reinstated from the disabled list this morning. He last pitched on May 31 before leaving after two innings against the Atlanta Braves. This is his first time pitching at Progressive Field since the second start of his career. If you remember, Strasburg had issues with the mound condition that day, but still went 5 1/3 innings with only two hits and a run allowed.

Pitching for Cleveland is third-year pro Corey Kluber (4-4, 4.08) who has really hit his stride as of late. Through his last six starts he is 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 35 innings.

Enjoy the game...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CLEVELAND INDIANS
Where: Progressive Field
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, WUSA-9, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500)
Weather: Rainy, 75 degrees (60% chance of rain)

NATIONALS (34-33)
CF Denard Span
2B Anthony Rendon
DH Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche

Game 67: Nats at Indians

Photo by USA Today

Chase here posting the game threads for the weekend as the Nats continue their series with the Cleveland Indians. After mustering just two hits against Justin Masterson last night, Washington will take a shot at the resurgent Scott Kazmir (3-4, 5.33 ERA). Though his numbers overall aren't spectacular, the lefty has been very good at home with a 3-0 record and 3.68 ERA at Progressive Field. This will be his first time facing the Nationals.

Working in Washington's favor is the presence of Jordan Zimmermann (9-3, 2.00) on the mound. They saw a terrific outing by Gio Gonzalez last night and should expect their starter to give them a good chance to win once again this evening. Zimmermann will be seeking his 10th win in the team's 67th game of the year. He has never faced the Indians before.

Davey Johnson has bumped Anthony Rendon up to hit second for the first time this season, likely in hopes his patience at the plate can pay dividends at the top of the lineup. Through 15 games this year Rendon already has more walks than Danny Espinosa and is only two behind Jayson Werth in 22 less games. Chris Marrero is also in the seven hole as the designated hitter.

Enjoy the game...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CLEVELAND INDIANS
Where: Progressive Field
Gametime: 7:15 p.m. EDT
TV: FOX, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 182
Weather: Clear, 78 degrees

NATIONALS (33-33)
CF Denard Span
2B Anthony Rendon
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Jayson Werth

Lineup still not in sync

Associated Press

Just when you think it's safe to believe the Nationals are climbing out of their season-long funk, an undermanned and underperforming lineup comes back and rears its ugly head once again.

Last night's 2-hit effort against Justin Masterson and the Indians (ultimately resulting in a 2-1, walk-off loss) was about as weak an offensive showing as we've seen this year out of the Nationals, made all the more frustrating by the fact Gio Gonzalez's gem of a start was wasted thanks to lack of run support.

Not to completely take away from Masterson, who was brilliant himself over seven innings, but the Nationals didn't exactly put up a competitive fight against Cleveland's starter. The right-hander had two excellent pitches working all night: a heavy sinker that he kept pounding down and in on right-handed batters, and a sharp-bending slider that he kept mixing in on the other side of the strike zone.

But that's all Masterson had. He kept throwing the same two pitches throughout the game, and there didn't appear to be much (if any) adjustment taking place in the batter's box. At-bats in the

Game 66: Nats at Indians

USA Today Sports Images

Don't look now, but the Nationals have won back-to-back series for the first time since early-May (when they beat the Pirates and Tigers in succession). If they're going to claw their way back into the thick of the NL East race, this is how they have to do it, taking 2 of 3 from as many upcoming opponents as they can, and they were able to do it in the last week against the Twins and Rockies.

Tonight, the Nationals open a new series in Cleveland, against an Indians club also hovering around the .500 mark. Davey Johnson will have (in theory) his three best starters on the mound: Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg. That's obviously a good thing.

Offensively, Davey is going with a couple of twists with tonight's lineup. Taking advantage of the DH in the AL park, Ryan Zimmerman gets a chance to bat four or five times without taking the field. Chad Tracy will be at third place. Steve Lombardozzi, meanwhile, is at second base, with Anthony Rendon getting the night off.

I'm not in Cleveland this weekend, but please continue the conversation here. And a special thanks to all of you who continue to do your part to keep the discourse intelligent and respectful...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CLEVELAND INDIANS
Where: Progressive Field
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 182
Weather: Clear, 64 degrees, Wind 9 mph in from LF

NATIONALS (33-32)
CF Denard Span
LF Roger Bernadina
DH Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche