Washington Nationals news & notes: Nats 11-5 over Rockies; offense wakes up in Coors Field

Notes and quotes from the Nationals’ 19-hit, 11-run, nine extra-base hit win over the Rockies in Coors Field…

WELCOME TO COORS FIELD:

In their two losses in the series with the Arizona D-backs, Davey Martinez’s club had eight hits and two runs combined, with no walks.

In their 3-1 win in the second of three in D.C., they had six hits and four walks.

Not exactly an impressive offensive output. But the manager told reporters after the finale of the three-game set, he wasn’t concerned about the lack of offense.

While acknowledging Arizona’s pitchers did their part, Washington’s skipper said his hitters missed the pitches they got in the zone.

“We just missed some pitches to hit,” he explained.

“We’re getting balls right there and we’re fouling them off. We’ve got to get on them. Like I said, we got to try to jump on these starters early. I don’t mind them swinging early.

“Today, we took some fastballs right there. He came right back and foul. And we made early outs, too. But these guys, they’re coming in, these guys all attacked us this series. We got to get ready to hit. We just got to get ready to hit.”

Martinez and Co. on his staff have always stressed the need for discipline from his hitters, but an obvious part of the right approach is barreling up the pitches you get in your/the zone.

When you get a good pitch to hit it’s about squaring the ball up,” Martinez said. “It really is. You start working deep in counts, and like I said, hitting is hard enough. If you look at the major league average of two-strike hitters, it’s like a pitcher hitting. It’s tough. So, we get a good pitch to hit we got to be ready to hit it. If he throws you a good pitch to hit you better be ready to hit it. Know what pitches you want to swing at, and when you get it there you got to hit it and you got to put it in play, and you got to try to hit it hard. That’s about the key to hitting really. You’re going to go through moments where those things just don’t happen because you’re in a little bit of a funk. When that happens, start to see some pitches. If you feel like you’re in a funk, start seeing some pitches and get back in that groove. This game, you’re never going to swing your way out of it, you’re not. All of a sudden you start chasing. We definitely got to stay away from that.”

Of course, even when you get your pitch and make solid contact, there’s no way to control what happens after that. Some of the good contact will still result in outs, but that’s part of the game.

“The guys like [Jesse] Winker and Lane [Thomas],” both of whom hit home runs in the series finale, “they can’t get frustrated, I mean, they’re swinging the bats, they’re hitting the balls. When they get a pitch to hit they’re driving the balls. The other guys— it’s just about consistency with these other guys, get up there and have three good at-bats, that’s going to be the key for us, is that we’ve got to have consistent at-bats and stretch out the game a little bit more, it seems like we go out there and we get three outs in about 6-7 minutes and our pitcher is going back out there again, so we got to get some length in our innings and try to get some guys on base and try to knock them around.”

Going into the first of three on the road this weekend in Coors Field, Martinez was cautious in predicting the mile-high air in the notoriously hitter-friendly ballpark would help get bats going.

“I can remember playing a game here last year where we lost 1-0,” he said. “I don’t want that to happen again.”

Martinez’s club was shut out in the opener in the Rockies’ home last season, but they went on to score 23 runs in the next three games, winning 2 of 3 for a split of the four-game set.

“But yeah,” he added. “I mean this ballpark plays big, but the balls do fly, so I just want to see these guys work good at-bats, and get on the fastball, and really just focus on having good at-bats today.”

“You want to get good pitches to hit,” he explained. “I always tell these guys, know thyself. Right? That’s the first thing you’ve got to do. You’re a good middle-in fastball hitter, 0-0, look for a ball middle-in. Don’t chase a ball out over the plate if you’re doing that. So, and that’s how it all starts. And sometimes taking a strike will help.”

“We talked a lot about that today in the hitters’ meeting, but I also told them too, “Look, if you do get a ball, especially with guys in scoring position, be ready to hit. Just be ready to hit.’ I went back this morning and watched some of the at-bats. I feel like we’re just getting caught in-between. They’re seeing the fastballs and they can’t pull the trigger, or they’re a little late. So, I want them to get ready. Get ready to hit the fastball, and then you can always adjust on the breaking balls.”

Following a 19-hit, nine extra-base hit, 11-5 win over Colorado, Washington’s skipper was asked what exactly he’d told the Nationals’ hitters in that pregame meeting, and how he thought they responded to the game plan.

“For me, as I always say, that stays in the circle,” he joked after they knocked Rockies’ righty Dakota Hudson out after connecting for 11 hits, taking two walks, and putting eight runs up on the starter, who threw 66 pitches in the outing.

“Look, they responded really well,” Martinez said.

“That’s what I’m going to tell you. We talked a lot about, ‘know thyself.’ Know who you are, know what pitches you want to attack. Stay on the fastball. We did well today.”

CJ Abrams returned to the lineup after missing two games with a ganglion cyst on his left wrist to go 3 for 5 with two doubles.

Lane Thomas went 3 for 5 with a double, a triple, and single, falling a home run short of a cycle.

Eddie Rosario, Luis García, Jr., Nick Senzel, Drew Millas, and Jacob Young all had multi-hit games. Their nine extra-base hits and 19 hits total were both season highs.

“We stayed on the ball, we used the whole field,” Martinez said. “We really did. CJ had a couple hits the other way, big hits. Jacob Young had hits the other way. It was — offensively everybody contributed, everybody did really well. Millas drives the ball to straightaway center field, so it was awesome.”

“We got the ball up in the zone, and we stayed on the ball, and we really made an emphasis on trying to stay in the middle of the field, and when you do that — the hanging breaking balls, you’re able to hit them hard. When you’re ready for the fastballs, you saw the results.”