The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

Boy, does this Craft Beer of the Week fit with how the Nationals' week went.  Dark.  It is the Van Dammit Belgian Dark Ale from the Jailbreak Brewing Company in Laurel, Maryland, and while the color can be a metaphor for the week that was for the Nationals, the taste is one that will make you feel a little better.  It is a traditional Belgian Ale, with a sweet taste that comes from figs, raisins, plums, and a complex array of malts that gives it a nice clean finish.  Jailbreak says that this is one of their limited release beers, but it is also one that does not take too much looking around to find.  If you are of age, and you are going to continue to follow the Nationals season, the 9.0% ABV may come in handy, but please drink responsibly and try to only imitate the man on the cover in your head as I'm sure Davey Martinez did many times this week as he saw the Nationals season go off the rails.

The Nationals dug themselves into a hole early this past week, as they dropped the first three games against the Cardinals in depressing fashion.  They were walked off for the second straight game on Monday when they scored 2 runs to tie the game in the top of the ninth, only to see Koda Glover give up an HR to the first batter he faced.  Gio gave up 5 runs on Tuesday, 2 of which came on a 2 run HR to the pitcher (John Gant) who had been 0-30 in his career to that point, and Jeremy Hellickson was placed on the DL after spraining his wrist covering a wild pitch on Wednesday.  The end of the week was no better.  The Marlins broke a 12 game road losing streak and won their first series against the Nationals since 2014 after winning in 10 innings on Saturday, and crushing the Nats 12-1 on Sunday.  What is more depressing is that the Braves and Phillies lost on Saturday and Sunday, so the Nats also lost a golden opportunity to gain ground in the NL East, yet the continue to find themselves 7.5 games back of the Braves.  One big part of that has been the futility of the bullpen.

Koda Glover was the king of futility this past week as he twice lost the lead/game immediately after the Nats had tied the game the inning before.  He lost the game on Monday as stated above, and
on Saturday Adam Eaton hit a game tying solo home run in the bottom of the 9th, only to have Glover give up a two out, bases loaded single that drove in two runs in the 10th.  Glover did get a tough save this week, but he cannot give up those kinds of losses right after the Nats' lineup does their job.  Honorable mention for the futility crown go to Sammy Solis, who in his one appearance on Monday gave up 2 hits and 2 runs without registering an out, and to Tommy Milone who made the debacle on Sunday turn into a massacre as he went 4 innings with 6 hits, 4 ER, and he gave up 3 home runs.  All those number contributed to a collective bullpen ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.5 for the week, and with no end to this in sight the Nats' playoff hopes look dismal.

The Nats hitters were not immune to this sucking either, as their golden boy Juan Soto hit .181 this week, as did Trea Turner.  Soto salvaged a .344 OBP for the week with six walks, but the top of the lineup was not very productive with those two leading off.  Matt Adams has also cooled off the past few weeks, as he went 0-9 this week, with five of those at bats coming with runners in scoring position.  In fact, Matt Adams in only 9 for his last 57 at bats for a staggering .157 average.  To be fair, the past three weeks he has been put in mostly as a pinch hitter, but this is a far cry from what he was doing earlier in the summer and the Nats miss that big bat coming off the bench.  It was not all bad this week, however, and the Nats still have some ray of hope that they can get back into the playoff race.

Bryce Harper got his 500th career RBI this past week against the Marlins while hitting .379 (5-6 RISP), 8 RBI, and he had an OPS of 1.05.  Over the last month Harper is hitting .538 (14-26) with runners in scoring position, so do not be surprised if teams begin walking Harper in big siutations, especially teams with payoff aspirations like the Phillies.  Rendon and Eaton also hit over .300 this week, but the silver slugger of the week goes to Matt Wieters. He hit .368 this week with 4 RBI, and he had an OPS of .987.  Wieters is 13 for his last 33 at bats, and he is coming on right when the Nats need another bat to make a run at the NL East.  Max Scherzer also contributed by getting his 16th win this week while scoring 2 runs and hitting a double against the Marlins.  Max is now hitting .296 for the season. Not to be outdone at the plate was Tanner Roark who also scored 2 runs in his outing against the Cardinals while going 2-3 at the plate and getting the only win in the series against the Cards.

It will take a herculean effort from all to make up ground in the NL East, but the Nats will have their chance this week as they open up a three game series with the Phillies today, and follow that up with a three game road trip against the Mets.  Roark is pitching tonight, and Stephen Strasburg is set to make his comeback on Wednesday, so here is hoping the Nats can gain at least two games on the Phillies in the wildcard to start the week, and maybe, just maybe, they can start to gain momentum going into the last 30 games of the season.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

The play from the National's this week required a strong Russian Imperial Stout for this week's craft beer.  It is Stone Brewing's 2018 collaboration Stone Woot Stout, and it gets the job done in all facets of beer drinking.  The beautiful black color masks a dynamic taste created by pecans, wheat, and rye that gives it a sweet toasted type of flavor.  It was also aged in bourbon barrels, so you also get that bourbon aftertaste that makes you feel like you are having that special me-time moment.  At 11.5% ABV, though, you are definitely coming close to that, so please drink responsibly and if you are lucky enough to find this beer at your local craft beer store pick it up immediately because it will not be there forever.  The 11.5% ABV was necessary at times this week, as the Nationals kept themselves 5.5 games back in the NL East in the most soul crushing way.

The Nats were one out away from being 4.5 games back of the Phillies and Braves last night until Ryan Madson gave up a walk off grand slam to David Bote.  It was a microcosm of the Nats season as Wilmer Difo, who entered in the bottom of the 9th as a defensive replacement, bobbled the exchange from his glove to allow the first base runner and Madson hit two batters to load the bases.  Madson claims that he had back issues that caused his poor command, but that still does not remedy the fact that they squandered a 7 inning/0 ER performance from Max Scherzer.  This was the second game this week that Max had to endure a no decision based on a 9th inning, injury laden, let down from the bullpen.  Kelvin Herrera squandered a 7 inning/1 ER performance from Max in the second game of the double header against the Braves this past Tuesday, where Herrera gave up 2 runs in the top of the 9th and was relieved of duty after complaining of shoulder tightness and is now on the DL.  Hopefully the Nats' training staff can actually talk to the bullpen pitchers this week so they can trot out healthy pitchers to try and close out zero and one run outings from Max Scherzer in the future.

The loss last night also extended the Nats' futility as they have not won a series of three or more games against a team with a winning record since May 10.  Madson's woes also extended the bullpen's woes this week, as his performance gave the bullpen a collective 7.16 ERA and 1.65 WHIP for this week.  The cherry on top was that the Nats' old buddy Brandon Kintzler was let off the hook, as he pitched the 9th inning last night for the Cubs and gave up a two run single to Ryan Zimmerman that extended the Nats' lead to 3-0.  Suffice to say that last night sucked, but all the news was not horrible for the Nats this week.

Ryan Zimmerman came alive this week as he hit .476 with 3 HR, 12 RBI, was 4 for 7 RISP, 1.04 SLG%, and a 1.56 OPS.  Grab a Stone Woot Stout to celebrate the return of Ryan Zimmerman just when the Nats need his bat to try and cut into their deficit in the NL East.  There was another National who hit over. 400 this past week, and the name may be surprising.  Matt Wieters hit .428 this past week, including an OPS of 1.02, and in the second game against the Cubs he reached base in all five of his plate appearances.  The Nats as a team actually out hit the combined efforts of the Braves and Cubs as the Nats' .271 team average outpaced the combined .244 average of the Braves and Cubs.  Contributing to this average were the five Nats hitters who all hit over .300 this week in Zimmerman, Wieters, Daniel Murphy (.370), Anthony Rendon (.315), and Trea Turner (.344).  This was also helped by the Nats' starting pitching that had only Tommy Milone give up more than 2 ER's in their appearances, and Max Scherzer continues to dazzle as he gave up only 1 ER in 14 innings of work this week.  Also, have a Stone Woot Stout for Gio Gonzalez as he got his first win in 11 starts this week, and Tanner Roark is also on a come back tour as he won his fourth straight start.  In those starts he has averaged 7.2 innings with a 1.21 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP.  The Nats will need to keep that kind of streak going as they will continue to face stout competition this upcoming week.

The Nats continue their tour of the midwest as they are in St. Louis in the beginning of the week for the "Battle of the teams that are 5.5 back in the division" series as the Cardinals are also 5.5 games back in the NL Central.  The Marlins come to town to close out the week, and hopefully the Nats can gain some ground in the NL East come this time next week.  There is still time being only 5.5 games out of the division, but time is running out.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

Can You Fig It?  A proper play on words for this week's craft beer as the Nats are rolling on the field, and this beer is made on the remains of a baseball field.  It comes from Peabody Heights Brewery that is located on the site of Old Oriole Park in Baltimore, but do not let that dissuade you from trying this masterpiece of body and flavor.  As the name implies, Can You Fig It is a German-style dark beer with dried figs and caramelized malts added to give it a smooth sweet taste that any beer drinker can enjoy.  It also has a lighter body than you would expect for a dark beer, and with only a 5% ABV this beer should be enjoyed year round even though it is billed as a winter warmer.  If you catch it at your local beer store (or MOM's Grocery) I highly suggest you try it as a nice way to celebrate the Nats' new found winning ways.

Crack open a Can You Fig It for the Nats winning their series against the Reds this past week.  It was the first time the Nats had won a series of three or more games since the July 5th series against the Marlins, and the Nats have now won 8 of their last 11 games.  Hopefully, the Nats will not have to wait another month for their next series win, and if the starting pitching can keep up the pace they set this week that is a definite possibility.

The Nats starters went 4-1 over the past five games, with Tanner Roark leading the way yet again with another 7 inning 1 run performance.  That makes Roark 3-0 over his last three starts going 22 innings and giving up only 2 earned runs.  Not to be outdone this past week was Tommy Milone who also gave up only 1 earned run in 7 innings while striking out 9 and getting his first win in over a year.  Max Scherzer had another 10K performance while driving in an RBI and improving his season batting average to .292, and Jeremy Hellickson gave the Nats 5.2 solid innings that probably could have been a full six if not for opposing teams hitting over .400 against him the third time around the order.  Which brings us to the black sheep of the rotation this week in Gio Gonzalez.  Gio was looking for his first win since May 28th, but alas he now has ten straight starts without a win.  In those starts he is 0-6, the Nats are 3-7, and he has averaged only 5 innings per start with a 6.20 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP.  If this trend continues, and Tommy Milone can give a few more quality starts, do not be surprised if Strasburg takes Gio's spot when he comes back and Milone replaces Gio as the lefty in the starting rotation.  That maybe a little far fetched but Davey Martinez needs to do something about Gio not being able to generate wins when he takes the mound, and maybe a nice little stint in the bullpen will help clear Gio's mind.  Despite Gio's struggles, the Nats starters set the winning pace this week, and the Nats hitters followed.

Bryce Harper continues to lead the Nats hitters as he is hitting .470 over the last five games with an OPS of 1.39.  Maybe the Home Run Derby did have an effect of Harper because since the All-Star Break he is hitting .367 with 14 RBI, 3 HR, and a 1.15 OPS.  The Nats will definitely need those numbers going forward if they want to catch the Phillies. Then again they will also need Juan Soto to get his third straight rookie of the month in August, as he has won that award for both June and July.  They need Trea Turner to continue to be the league leader in stolen bases as he upped that number to 30 this week.  And finally, they need their big guns in Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy to continue to produce in the middle of the lineup.  Murhpy  went 5 for 14 (.357) over these last five games, and since July 8 Murphy is hitting .406 with 3 HR and 13 RBI.  Rendon has been the most consistent hitter for the Nats over the course of this summer, and this week was no exception.  While his average was nothing special, Rendon managed to keep his OPS at 0.772 this week with 5 RBI and going 3 for 6 in RISP situations.  Since July 8 Rendon's numbers in those areas are even more impressive with 17 RBI, an .877 OPS, and 8 for 22 (.363) in RISP situations.  Here's hoping the Nats big guns can continue to bring the wood as they face a tough stretch ahead that will define their season.

It will be the battle of the division races this week as the Nats face the Braves for a four game series at home that includes a double header today, and then it is off to Chicago for a three game series with the Cubs.  Both of these teams are in the thick of their division races with the Nats trailing the Braves by 4.5 games for second in the NL East, so grab some Can You Fig Its and settle in for a season defining week of baseball for the Nationals.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

This week's craft beer hails from DuClaw Brewing Company in Baltimore and it is their limited release Incognito Pilsner.  The tag line is "mysteriously familiar" and when you taste it you will know why.  It has that Miller Lite pilsner taste to it with a 5.4% ABV, but with a more bold flavor and crisp finish that makes it perfect for a hot summer day.  It is definitely worth a purchase if you are into subtle differences in beer taste, or if you're looking for an enhanced classic tasting beer at a barbecue that everyone can enjoy.  Incognito is a limited release so get it while you can, but DuClaw has an extensive selection which I highly encourage you to check out if you are over 21 and have the time.  Hopefully you enjoyed some of DuClaw's finest as you watched some mediocre baseball from the Washington Nationals this past week and a half.

Mysteriously familiar was the tagline that could be applied to the Nats' past nine games coming out of the All-Star break.  A split with Atlanta, one win against another division chasing team in Milwaukee, and just when you thought the Nats were going to sweep their old whipping post the Marlins hold the Nats to one run in the last two games of the series to force a split.  Luckily the Phillies and Braves could not get out of second gear either, and the Nats still find themselves only 5.5 games back in the NL East.  It was still disconcerting that the Nats squandered a stout outing from Gio Gonzalez this past Saturday (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER) which has been rare over the past month and a half.  Gio still struggles with WHIP (1.42 since the break) and he issued 9 walks in 12.2 innings of work his last two starts, which indicates that he is asking to get shelled yet again, but here's hoping Gio can get out of jams and produce more one run games.  It was not just Gio that shined in the starting rotation.  Tanner Roark had his two best start of his career throwing 8 scorless innings in a 7-3 win in Miami and only giving up one run in 7 innings in the rout of the Mets last night.  Max Scherzer does what he does best pitching 14 total innings since the All-Star Break and giving up only 2 ER.  The bullpen had a little bit of a post All-Star hangover as they gave up two walk off wins in extra innings and amassed an ERA of 3.90 and a WHIP of 1.44 since the All-Star break.  They were not helped by Hellickson, Strasburg, and Tom Milone combining for only 19.1 innings over 4 starts, but they need to come up big in some of those close games.  But there may be some addition by subtraction as Brandon Kintzler was traded yesterday to the Cubs.  Have an Incognito for him as Rizzo added insult to injury as he alluded to  the idea that Kintzler may not have been the best locker room presence.  There was one person who was not traded yesterday, though, and maybe for good reason.

With all the trade hype surrounding Bryce Harper, the Nats decided to stand pat and ride or die with Harper for the rest of this season.  That may not look so good when taking in Harper's season stats, but a look at his stats since the All-Star break should give Nats fans hope that Harper can lead this team to the playoffs.  Since the All-Star Break Harper is hitting .312 with an OPS of 1.03 (that includes a SLG% of .593), he has 10 RBI (6 of which have come with 2 Outs), and he is 6 for 12 in RISP situations.   Granted it is a small sample size, and last night's offensive explosion enhanced some of those stats a tad, but Harper has come alive since the All-Star Break and he may vindicate Rizzo's choice to keep him on by keeping this kind of pace throughout the rest of the season. It was not just Harper that has turned it up since the All-Star Break.  His other struggling counterpart in Daniel Murphy may be rounding out into form at just the right time as well.  Murphy has a team leading 11 RBI since the break and is hitting .371 with an OPS of 1.10 and is 5 for 10 in RISP situations.  The whole argument was that once the Nats' big guns got going they could start making a run.  It looks as if both Murphy and Harper are doing just that, and it may be rubbing off on the other players.

The Nats have 9 hitters (Turner, Soto, Difo, Zimmerman, Adams, Rendon, Harper, Eaton, and Murphy) who have an OPS of .700 or higher since the break, and 6 of those nine hitters (Turner, Soto, Zimmerman, Rendon, Harper, and Murphy) are all hitting over .300 since the break as well.  The Mets game did buttress those stats somewhat, but the offense the Nats have been searching for this whole season may be arriving when the Nats are really are on their last chance to make it to the playoffs.  There were negatives over these last 10 games such as the mighty Juan Soto only going 1 for 11 in RISP situations, Harper striking out nearly every other time he comes to the plate (15 K's in 40 plate appearances), Daniel Murphy having three errors since the break, Matt Wieters hitting .178 since the break, and Trea Turner joining the "Oh shit, you found THOSE tweets?" club.  But despite all of this the Nats are still alive and it seems like they are coming to life to try and make a run.  With nine games left against the Phillies, and seven against the Braves, they will have more than enough opportunities to get backto the top of the NL East.  Lets just hope these trends since the All-Star Break continue.

It all continues with one more games against the Mets today, and then a four game series with the Reds to finish out the week.  Hopefully, the Nats can keep it going and get even closer to the NL East lead.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

In honor of the MLB All-Star Game and festivities being held in DC this week, SweetDCSports is keeping the Nats Craft Beer of the Week local with this wonderful pick from Denizens Brewing Company in Silver Spring, Maryland.  It is their Macadocious Maibock and it has all you can ask for in a summer beer.  It is hoppy for the IPA lovers out there.  It has malts for those who don't want to have that hoppy aftertaste in their mouths, and it has subtle floral hints with a light body that makes you feel like you are drinking summer in a can.  There is a little something for everyone in this beer, so if your're over 21 please support local breweries and pick up a 6-pack as you try to enjoy watching the Nationals who had a little something for everyone this week as well.

If you wanted to see futility there was certainly enough of that to go around.  The Nats split their four game series with the last place Mets, and during that time they gave the Mets their 7th win in 27 home games and allowed Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler to get his first home win in over a year.  Speaking of pitching, most of the Nats starting pitching had a rough week.  The quintet of Scherzer, Gio, Roark, Rodriguez, and newcomer Austin Voth combined for one win, four losses, 24.1 innings, and a 8.14 ERA.  To be fair, Scherzer got the lone win and his 11th hit of the season (tied for first among pitchers), Gio lost a 2-0 decision, Roark hit the first triple by a Nats pitcher since 2007, and 13 of the 22 runs given up were from Rodriguez and Voth, but there needs to be more consistency within the rotation if the Nats intend to make up ground on their new NL East overlords to the north.  The Nats hitters had their own problems, as the Nats saw the return of Matt Wieters this week only to have him reaffirm that the catcher position will be a perpetual black hole this year as he was 2 for 18 with a .150 OBP.  Not be outdone was Trea Turner, who had to face a little bit of regression to the mean this week as he he was only 3 for 26 with an OBP of .178 and an OPS of .331. Those are not the numbers of a lead off hitter, but Turner's OBP each of the last four weeks was over .300, and two of those weeks it was over .400.  Let's just hope this is the universe playing cooler to Trea Turner and he can get back on track after the All-Star break.  It was not all bad news, though, as Nats fans who are fond of relief pitching, dominant starts from pitchers returning from the DL, OPS, and Daniel Murphy were treated this week.

The Nats bullpen has been much maligned since the beginning of June, but this week saw a reversal of fortune.  The Nats bullpen threw 20.2 innings and only gave up 2 earned runs while incurring no losses. Special nods go out to Ryan Madson, who in his three appearances gave up only one hit, one walk, and got the Nats' only save this week, and to Shawn Kelley who had his third straight week of shut out relief.  Kelley has only allowed 3 earned runs in his last 18 innings, and his ERA has dropped from 4.4 in the beginning of June to 2.54.  The Nats also had a pitching bright spot in Jeremy Hellickson.  Hellickson redeemed himself from his 4 inning nightmare last week to give up only 1 run in 2 games and get two of the Nats 3 wins this week.  Have a Maibock in hopes that Hellickson can lock down his starting position as Strasburg continues to rehab. The Nats hitting also had their bright spots as three Nats had an OPS over 1.0 this week.  Anthony Rendon (1.07 OPS), Adam Eaton (1.04 OPS), and Daniel Murphy (1.29 OPS) combined for 11 RBI, 4 doubles, and three home runs (all from Rendon), and honorable mentions go to Matt Adams whose SLG% was a .521 this week with 2 home runs.  Daniel Murphy also gets kudos for going 8 for 15 this week, and getting his 2 RBI's in a bases loaded pinch hitting situation against the Mets.  Now, let's see if he can do that against teams that didn't foolishly let him go in free agency.

Finally, this week saw the return of the legend of Bryce Harper as he won the Home Run Derby in dramatic fashion. Whatever this does for the Nationals season going forward, it has to show the Lerners that they need to start doing inventory on their assets to see how much they can offer Harper at the end of the year.  He is the straw that stirs the drink for the Nationals, and despite some of his numbers being down this year, he will be able to buoy the Nationals in times of need as he showed on Monday night.  It also showed that he wants to be here if given the opportunity, he will play his heart out for this city, and The Home Run Derby also showed that they cannot just let Harper walk without proposing a competitive offer if they want to save face with the fan base.  Harper wore his heart on his sleeve for the first time in a while, and he showed a glimpse of what he could give this city if he is locked up for the long term.  For now, though, lets just hope this inspires the Nats to close the 5.5 game gap with the Phillies once the season gets going on Friday.  Three games with the Braves this weekend and then it is off to Milwaukee to face the Brewers for a four game stretch. 

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

This rendition of The Nats Craft Beer of the Week stays close to home with 16 Bar Stools from the Brookeville Beer Farm in Montgomery County, Maryland.  This is Brookeville's version of a Belgian Tripel, and while it has the signature sweet taste at the end that all Belgian Tripels have, Brookeville puts their own stamp on this beer to make it great for drinking in the summer.  There are tangy citrus notes to go along with a rich flavor and smooth body that masks the fact that it has an 8% ABV.  Please drink responsibly as the high ABV is coupled with high volume units (it is only sold in 16 oz. cans), and enjoy a unique Belgian Tripel in the hot DC sun.

The Nats certainly could have used a nice refresher early in the week as they were swept by the Red Sox and fell 7 games behind the Braves in the NL East.  The Nats were only able to score 7 runs in that series, which included a shutout in the last game, that led to Max Scherzer calling a players only meeting.  The meeting must have worked because the Nats went 3-1 against the Marlins in their next series scoring a total of 37 runs and coming back from the largest deficit in Nationals history (9-0) in the first game of the series.  The Nats hitters woke up against the lowly Marlins pitching staff, and there were some hitters who had an absolutely monster week at the plate.

Trea Turner and Mark Reynolds both had 2 home run games this week, with Trea Turner doing it in the comeback game on Thursday.  Turner hit his first career grand slam in that game that put the Nationals ahead 10-9, and he registered 8 RBI's in that game.  Turner's weekly OPS continues to be respectable at a .833, and he was even able to go 3 for 7 this week with runners in scoring postion. Not to be outdone was Mark Reynolds who hit 2 home runs this past Saturday in an 18-4 drubbing of the Marlins.  Reynolds also went 5 for 5 in that game with 10 RBI, which is only the fourth time that has happened in MLB history.  Reynolds was not a one hit wonder this week, however, going 10 for 14 (5 for 6 with runners in scoring position) with 12 RBI, 3 HR including a walk off HR on Friday Night, an OPS of 2.26, and he even pitched and got the last out for the Nats in a 10-2 loss on Sunday.

Turner and Reynolds were the leaders of an offensive explosion as all players were able to get at least one RBI this week, except for Michael Taylor, there were five Nats who hit over .300 (Reynolds, Turner, Adams, Goodwin, Taylor), and there were five players who had an OBP of over .400 this week (Reynolds, Adams, Soto, Goodwin, Taylor, Harper).  Harper's OBP this week should be a sign that he needs to be hitting higher in the lineup.  In his last 57 plate appearances he has an OBP of .473, but he has only hit .210 in that same sample size.  Bryce should be hitting either first or second in the lineup in order to get on base for the likes of Matt Adams, Mark Reynolds, and Anthony Rendon who should be in the three or four spot whenever they are in the lineup.  Reynolds' sample size maybe small, but his slugging percentage was a 1.5 this week, and Adams was 0.533.  The Nats will need to generate more runs as the pitching staff continues to suffer; Literally and figuratively.

Erick Fedde had to leave the 3-0 loss to Boston in the first inning with shoulder soreness, and while the MRI came back negative it is not a good sign for the Nats starting pitching when Strasburg's timetable for return in unknown.  That led to a week where the Nats bullpen threw a whopping 29.2 innings this week with some good and some bad.  The bullpen threw four scoreless innings on Friday Night in the 3-2 walk off win, but they also gave up 6 runs in 5 innings in a 10-2 loss on Sunday.  Ryan Madson was the leader in futility going only 0.2 innings with 4 ER on Sunday, and he got the loss on Wednesday against the red Sox.  Since June 4 Madson has thrown 10 innings of relief with an ERA of 8.44 and a WHIP of 2.15.  Madson may have been the works offender this week, but most of the Nats pitching took their lumps this week in their appearances.  Evidence of this was the fact that Shawn Kelley was the only Nats pitcher, starter or reliever, to throw 5 or more innings this week and not give up an earned run.  This may say more about the bullpen than the starting pitching, but the starters were OK at best this week.  Of the three wins the Nats had this week only one went to a starter and that was Max Scherzer on Saturday.  The other starters this week were shaky at best with Gio needing 114 pitches to get out of 5 innings in the 3-2 win on Friday, Jeremy Hellickson made his return this week and was responsible for all 9 runs in the comeback win on Thursday, and Tanner Roark pitched 11 innings this week giving up 20 hits, 13 ER, and he was charged with 2 losses.

Here's hoping that the Nats starters can get it together this coming week considering they are still 5 games back of the Braves, but with Jeffrey Rodriguez getting the start tonight expect a high flying affair.  In Rodriguez's last two starts he threw 9 combined innings and gave up 9 runs, but the Nats won both games.  Lucky for Rodriguez that the Nats have the Pirates for a three game series, and then travel to the Big Apple to face the bottom feeding Mets.  After this week the Nats will have not had a day off since June 27, so grab some 16 Bar Stools and have one for the Nats as they continue to grind and get back into first place in the NL East.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

A more familiar face graces this week's Nats Craft Beer of the Week because in times of turmoil you need a friend to tell you everything is going to be OK.  Sierra Nevada's Sidecar IPA does just that.  Sidecar is a variation of Sierra Nevada's classic Pale Ale, but it tones down the hops a tad in favor of a subtle orange flavor that is complimented by hints of malts that makes this a perfect summer beer.  You'll get a little bit of everything without having to be bombarded by an overwhelming hop flavor, and with a 6.8% ABV it will also get the job done where it counts so please drink responsibly.  Hopefully you grabbed a Sidecar while hugging a loved one this past week as you watched a mostly depressing week for the Nationals.

This past week saw the Nationals go 1-5 on the road against the Rays and Phillies, which increased their deficit in the NL East to 6 games.  The Nats also find themselves three games back in the NL Wildcard race, and with a 6-15 record in their last 21 games things are starting to get a little worrisome for the defending NL East Champions.  This week, especially, saw some team stats that are quite depressing.  The Nats had 238 plate appearances counting walks and HBP's.  They struck out in 60 of those plate appearances, which means that every time the Nats went through the order this week they struck out about twice on average.  Those whiffs at the plate were complimented by a .173 average with runners in scoring position this week.  The Nats had their lowest weekly total RISP at bats (46) in June, their lowest weekly RISP hits (8) in June, and four of those 8 hits came in one game, so you can see how the Nats were shut out twice again this week which brought the total number of times the Nats were shut out in June to seven.  The RISP hitting was a symptom of the Nats hitting under .200 in three of the six games this week, and in two of the remaining three games they could not crack .250.  Usually the Nats pitching gets them out of these kinds of funks, but aside from Max Scherzer and Tanner Roark the starters were less than impressive this week.

Scherzer pitched an absolute gem against Tampa on Tuesday, but he felt the Nats hitting futility first hand as the Nats were only able to muster three hits in a 1-0 loss.  Tanner Roark also had a fine outing giving up two runs, one earned, in six innings only to lose 4-3.  Other than those starts, the Nats went from mediocre to horrendous.  Jeremy Hellickson made his first start since being put on the DL June 4th and he gave up 3 runs in 4.2 innings, which is not bad but not great either due to the fact that the Nats could not drive in runs this week.  Even in their massive 17-7 win on Friday, Erick Fedde gave up 5 runs in 5 innings.  Gio Gonzalez, though, had the worst week of them all.  Gio collected two ugly losses this week that saw the return of the classic Gio Gonzalez meltdown.  He had two 40 pitch innings this week where he issued 7 total walks and gave up 9 earned runs.  In fact, over his last 5 starts Gio has pitched only 19.1 innings with a WHIP of 2.12 and an ERA of 9.31.  Lets hope he can get back on track this week because the bullpen also did not do the starters any favors.  Kelvin Herrera was the only reliever to not give up an earned run this week, and have a Sidecar for Justin Miller who gave up the walk off home run to the Phillies on Saturday that capped off a week where he threw 121 pitches in 6.2 innings of relief.  The only Nats pitcher to throw more pitches this week than Justin Miller was Gio Gonzalez, so maybe we see a little more of Kelvin Herrera this week to give Miller a break.  The Nats pitching, though, put them within one run four times this week, but the bats just could not get it done.

The Nats had five hitters (Goodwin, Taylor, Harper, Murphy, and Severino) hit for under .200 this week. Taylor and Severino are the futility winners as they both hit under .100 for the week.  Even the mighty Juan Soto came down to Earth this week, as he hit only .250 with 8 K's and 4 walks.  He still was able to go 2 for 8 in RISP situations, the best average for the Nats, and his 2 home runs this week kept his OPS above .800, but he needs to pick up more of the slack from the struggling line up.  The only two hitters who kept up their hot pace this past week were Anthony Rendon (.333 BA, 1.12 OPS, 5 RBI, 2HR) and Trea Turner (.375 BA, .964 OPS, 2 RBI, 7 Runs), which should give Nationals fans hope that Davey Martinez can adjust the lineup to get more offense going.  Even Bryce Harper, despite his hitting woes, was able to lead the Nats this week with a .481 because of his 10 walks this week, so Davey needs to get these bats going by maybe shaking up the order a bit. 

My vote would be moving Bryce back to lead off and then going Turner (whose average and OBP has been one of the most consistent on the team), Rendon, Eaton (he has hit .333 with runners in scoring position this month), then Soto.  The six through nine hitters seem to be interchangeable, although I will continue to champion Kieboom over Severino at the catcher spot.

Whatever the lineup will be this coming week, the Nats better get in gear as the Red Sox come to town for a three games series followed by the Marlins. Hopefully the Nats can gain some ground on the Braves this week to stay within striking distance.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

SweetDCSports is taking a little bit of a detour from traditional summer brews with this beer in honor of a somewhat dismal week from the Nationals.  This week's beer comes from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon and it is their Black Butte Porter.  Do not let it's dark color fool you. This beer is surprisingly easy to drink and goes down smooth, with just the right hints of coffee and chocolate to give it a wonderfully unique roasted flavor.  At 5.2% ABV and a light, creamy body it is a wonderful addition to any summer barbecue, and it is surprisingly affordable for a beer that comes from so far away.  It's dark color outlines a week for the Nationals that saw a little bit of ups, mostly downs, rain delays, and time travel.

 The Nats went back to the future as they made up a game last Monday against the Yankees that got rained out after 5 innings on May 15.  Technically those stats retroactively count for May 15, so Juan Soto hit his first major league home run 5 days before his official major league debut.  Wild stuff.  Fortunately that home run proved to be the difference as the Nats were able to win that game, and Soto continues to be a terror within the Nats lineup.  Soto hit .360 this week with an OPS of 1.14, which includes an OBP of .500 due to his 7 walks this week compared to only 4 K's.  Soto is even gaining the respect of pitchers as he was intentionally walked to load the bases on Sunday night against the Phillies in tied game in the 8th.  Daniel Murphy made them pay for that with a go ahead two run single, and Michael Taylor drove in Soto on the following at bat to take an 8-6 lead that the Nats would not relinquish.  Soto also joins Trea Turner and Anthony Rendon as the Nats whose OPS were above 1.00 this week, with honorable mention going to Michael Taylor whose OPS was a .970.

Speaking of Rendon, pop some Black Butte Porters for the guy who single-handedly carried this team through the week with eye popping numbers. He hit .448 this week with 3 HR's, 7 RBI, an OPS of 1.36 that includes a slugging percentage of .896.  The guy is getting it done, especially in the absence of Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, but signs are pointing to those two coming around.  Murphy has 4 RBI in his last two games, and although Bruce only hit .240 this week, all of his six hits were doubles and he managed to have 3 RBI from the leadoff/second spot in the lineup.  Here's hoping those numbers increase for both Harper and Murphy, because if they can round out into form I pity the pitcher who has to face the Nats' 1-6 hitters, and Wilmer Difo is proving that he is not as easy of an out this week hitting .307.  While things may be looking up, there are a number of things that are keeping the Nats perpetually three games behind the Braves.

The Nats' woes this week start with the pitching, and send some Black Butte Porter to the bullpen who had major innings duty this week.  The Nats bullpen threw for a combined 30.1 innings of baseball and had a combined ERA of 4.15, with Sammy Solis contributing the lion's share of 5 earned runs in 3.1 innings.  Newcomer Kelvin Herrera was solid in his first relief appearance, but allowed 2 runs in the 8th to break a 3-3 tie on Saturday.  Let's just hope that is just not being familiar with the National League hitters.  The starters also had their foibles, with Tanner Roark giving up 6 earned runs in only 4.1 innings of duty. In fact, in is last 4 starts Roark's WHIP is a 1.83, meaning that he is allowing two base runners per inning over the last 4 games.  Not good.  But all the Nats starters were not that great, as no Nats starter was able to garner a win this week.  Jefry Rodriguez pitched in two unlikely wins as he gave up 9 earned runs in 9 innings this week, but the Nats were able to win both of those games.  Maybe he has an effect on the hitting, because outside of those two games the Nats batted .218 with an RISP average of .102 (4 for 39) this week.  The Nats could not give any run support to likes of Scherzer or Gio, and the main culprit is Pedro Severino.

With Matt Wieters out, Severino has been the guy at catcher but mainly because he is a warm body that takes up space.  Severino is a ripe 3 for his last 42 at bats (yes you are reading that right) with only 3 walks, 1 RBI, and he is 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.  Compare those numbers to Spencer Kieboom who is 4 for his last 15 with 5 walks, 1 RBI, and he has scored 2 runs and it may be time to give the catching duties to Kieboom even if there are concerns about defense.  Severino has been a black hole over the last three weeks, and if the upper part of the order is going to get on base and create offense they need someone at the bottom to keep it going.  Here's to Kieboom getting more of the starts this week as Wieters continues to rehab.

The Nats squandered a home stretch as they will be on the road this upcoming week.  They have two games in Tampa with Gio and Max on the hill, and then they fly back north to face the Phillies for a four game series that will have major implications for the NL East standings as the All-Star Break approaches.  Hopefully the trio of Fedde, Roark, and Rodriguez can pull it together this week so the Nats can keep pace with the Braves.  Rodriguez's starts have been especially entertaining, so grab a couple of Black Butte Porters as you cheer on the Nats this week.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

This week's craft beer come from the Brawling Bear Brewing Company located right here in Maryland.  It is their Low Blow Blonde Ale, and it is the perfect compliment to watching baseball in the summer.  The beautiful golden color belies a crisp and refreshing beer that one would expect from a blonde ale.  What is unexpected is the malt undertones that gives this beer a wonderful flavor that is a welcome detour from the never ending dross of IPA's that show up at this time.  Low Blow also packs a little bit of a punch at 6% ABV, which is higher than a normal blonde ale, so please drink responsibly. 

Responsible drinking may have proven to be a difficult task this week as the Nationals went 1-4 and fell 3.5 games behind the Braves for the NL East lead.  This futility was fueled by a number of firsts for the Nats pitching staff.  Max Scherzer lost his second consecutive game on Saturday, which was the first time he had lost two consecutive games in over three years.  Justin Miller finally gave up his first run of the season in a 6-5 loss to Toronto, and Ryan Madson gave up his first home run on Sunday in over a year.  Unfortunately it took 5 minutes for Madson to give up another home run as the Blue Jays went back to back off of Madson in the 8th inning to break a 6-6 tie and send the Nats home without a win in their trip to the great white north.  Speaking of home runs, Nats pitching gave up 12 home runs this week, and they have given up 19 home runs in the last 11 games.  That is not a good recipe for success, and something the Nationals need to clean up going forward.  The Nationals' pitching firsts this week were a little depressing, but the hitting firsts were a little more joyus, even if it did not translate into many wins.

This week saw the return of Daniel Murphy to the lineup, and while he went 2 for 20 at the plate this week that second hit drove in a run on Sunday and it looks as if he is getting back into form.  Juan Soto made some firsts this week as well.  Soto hit two home runs against the Yankees on Wednesday making him the youngest National to ever hit 2 home runs in a game, and he is the youngest player to have a 4 RBI game since 1975.  Those two home runs also gave Soto his second consecutive week where his OPS was above .900 (.981), and while his batting average is nothing special over that same time frame (.264) he is proving to be the Nats' main producer of extra base hits.  If Soto was the extra base hit man then Michael Taylor and Adam Eaton were the ones that padded the Nats' average.  Taylor went 6 for 10 this week and had four stolen bases, and Eaton went 6 for 18 with an RBI.  Anthony Rendon also did a little bit of everything as he went 5 for 18 (.277), he had an OBP of .333, and he was 2 for 4 with runners in scoring position.  Speaking of runners in scoring position, who has had the most RISP at bats for the Nationals over the last two weeks?  That's right, it is Wilmer Difo. Difo has had 17 at bats over the last two weeks with runners in scoring position, and with those opportunities he has only mustered 2 hits and one RBI.  It may be time for Davey Martinez to move Taylor down to the 7-8 spot and have Difo hit earlier in order to drive in more runs.  Difo's struggles, though, are nothing compared to the Nats' biggest hole in the lineup this week.

Bryce Harper continued his hitting woes as he went 1 for 16 (.063), no RBI, and 8 strikeouts.  In fact, Harper has struck out 16 times over his last 38 at bats.  Luckily he was able to draw three walks, and get hit by two pitches, this week to make his OBP not suck, but Bryce is watching his $400 million pay day slowly slip away.  Hopefully he can get back on track this week as the lowly Orioles come to Nats Park for a three game series.  Following the O's are the Phillies as the battle for second place in the NL East will take place.  Kicking of the week, though, will be the Yankees, who come to town to make up the suspended game from May 16.  Hopefully, the Nats can right the ship and close the gap between them and the Braves this week, so enjoy a Low Blow Blonde Ale and hope the Nats can put up better performances this coming week.