Normally, when you make two fielding errors, two baserunning errors, and give up three home runs, you lose the game. Saved by 11 offensive runs in the thin Colorado air, the Washington Nationals’ misstep was covered up better than that putty job to fill those holes punched in the clubhouse wall.
The IQ of this team is often in question. So is training. Nick Senzel is often at the forefront when bad plays are made. His two fielding errors can happen, but his error in running the base on an infield single with two outs when he trotted from first to second and kept pace until third base was inexcusable. Most Little League players wouldn’t make that mistake. Senzel should have been benched since the team has Trey Lipscomb cemented to the pine. Senzel was not. Once again the message is that veteran players like Senzel and Eddie Rosario can get away with unforgivable play on the field.
Speaking of Rosario, he was doing his usual thing in the batter’s box where he swings at balls out of the zone in his refusal to accept walks, because of course he wanted that RBI with a runner on third base with less than two outs. The ‘team’ player knows that you take the initiative and move the line.
If that graph (above) represented bullets fired by a police cadet at a target within close range (say 60 feet 6 inches), that cadet would be expelled from the academy. That’s 1 1/2 walks on that board, and there should be two runners on base with one out. Moving the line is how winning teams do it. That’s “baseball team.” But not Rosario, he plays for himself: the name on the back of the shirt. Yet he continues to clean up the bat with his .186 batting average and .576 OPS as if he were Babe Ruth’s second. Every time a right-handed pitcher starts a game, Rosario’s name is written in pencil in the middle of the lineup. Because?
“Here’s the deal: We’re chasing more with runners in scoring position. We are not being patient. I always tell the guys, ‘Look, the pitcher is the guy you need to worry about.’ Don’t swing at a changeup or a breaking ball when you’re not looking for it.’ That’s where we get into trouble. “We are making quick starts with guys on base.”
— manager Dave Martinez said that a month ago, and yet here we are, a month later, watching the same guy, a so-called veteran teaching the young guys bad habits.
There has to be a better left-handed hitter that general manager Mike Rizzo can find on waivers or in his minor league system (hint: WOOD, JAMES) to hit better than Rosario. At least find someone who puts in the effort, appreciates the paycheck, and sets an example for the young players on this team. There used to be a “next man up” philosophy. Martínez has said that Rosario is the type of player who has an offense, but that has not been the case at all. The team is just 2-5 when Rosario homers, and during its hot streak from May 4-20, the team went a disappointing 5-9 in that span.
According to FanGraphs, a league average would give you one more win than Rosario. Yes, he has a -1.0 WAR. Why doesn’t Ildemaro Vargas get more starts ahead of Senzel? Vargas has 23 percent fewer plate appearances than Senzel, but he has a higher WAR.
Colorado can often improve a player’s stats. Some find there a confidence that can carry them forward. This National team is obviously good in many aspects. However, why is the obvious of talking about the ‘little things’ ignored and the same mistakes persist, and the same players have their sins swept under the rug? There has to be more responsibility. Start from the top.
