The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

SweetDCSports is bringing back posts that it started in its infancy.  There is nothing better in the summer than watching baseball and drinking beer, so we are bringing back the Washington Nationals Craft Beer of the Week.  Get your weekly Nationals update along with a craft beer suggestion that you can buy at your local stores.  Please note that these beers are my personal choice and in no way are endorsed by the Washington Nationals, and do not buy them if you are under 21.  So, without futher ado...

The first beer chosen is in honor of the Washington Capitals winning the Stanley Cup, and how that made everyone in DC feel about themselves.  Jovial is a Belgian Style Double Ale from Troegs Independent Brewing in Hersey, Pennsylvania, and it is a great alternative for those looking for relief from the unending parade of flavored IPA's that come out in the summer.  The chocolate, toffee, and molasses flavor will make you feel better about yourself, and the cork at the top will let everyone at the party know that you are better than them.  At 7% ABV please drink responsibly as you watch the Nationals try to hit the ball a little bit more consistently than they did this past week.

Not even Alex Ovechkin could make Bryce Harper feel more jovial as the Capitals descended on Nats Park on Saturday on their Stanley Cup Drinking Binge 2018.  Ovechkin raised the Cup every time Harper took the plate, but maybe his rooting for the Golden Knights gave him some bad juju.  Harper had 8 strikeouts this week to go along with a paltry .181 average and a .217 OBP that led the Nationals to a 3-3 record over the last 6 games.  Wilmer Difo may need a jolt as well, considering he led the team with 8 plate appearances with runners in scoring position and got as many hits as I did in those situations.  It may be time for Davey Martinez to look and see if the lineup can be switched to give someone more of an opportunity in those situations, but the Nats only hit .277 in RISP situations so the grass can only get a little greener.  And pass an old Jovial to Brian Goodwin and Pedro Severino who need to forget their 0 for 7 and 0 for 12 week and try to move on.  It also may be time to see more of Spencer Kieboom as he had a big hit in Saturday's win against the Giants, and went 2 for 6 overall this week with an RBI.  The pitching situation was just as depressing as the Nats saw Strasburg, Kintzler, and Hellickson go on the DL, and even the intrepid Max Scherzer gave up three walks in a 2-0 loss on Monday.

Not all was doom and gloom this week.  Juan Soto continued his sensational season this week with a .934 OPS (including a .434 OBP), 5 runs, 3 RBI, and drawing a whopping 5 walks.  Michael Taylor and Matt Adams also gave the Nats some on base help as they both had OBP and batting average's above .400 this week, with Taylor also having an OPS above 1.  Anthony Renson also chipped in with hitting close to .300 this week, and he was 3 for 6 in RISP situations.  There was even an Adam Eaton sighting as he went 1 for 4 and scored 2 runs in Saturday's win against the Giants.  Most of the bullpen was on point, and Sean Doolittle was 2 for 2 in save situations this week, but there just needs to be more consistency across the board as the Nats continue on a tough week ahead.

First up are the Yankees, as the Nats begin a road tour of the AL as they will spend two days in New York and fly further north for a three game series against the Blue Jays.  Hopefully, Matt Adams gets the lion's share of the DH duties as the Nats try to stay atop the NL East with the Braves this week.  Pop a couple of Jovials and enjoy the week to come.