After weekend outburst, Robles settling back in at plate

The storylines surrounding this Nationals lineup haven't really changed since spring training. They still need consistent production from big offseason acquisitions Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber. Trea Turner is showing his sneaky pop is no longer sneaky. Juan Soto is still waiting to break out of his funk to reach the incredibly high standards he's set for himself. And Ryan Zimmerman's return is proving that a year off may have done the veteran first baseman some good as he provides a lethal bat and reliable glove off the bench.

Perhaps the one area where there's been some fluctuation is Victor Robles, his production and where he's hitting in the lineup.

The Nationals had a need at the top of their lineup after the departure of Adam Eaton this offseason. Someone who can work at-bats, get on base, and allow Turner and Soto to move down in the order so they have more opportunities to come to the plate with runners in scoring position.

They presumably had an easy in-house fix in Robles, who is celebrating his 24th birthday today. Coming into the season, Robles owned a .306/.362/.518 slash line in 19 games leading off in the majors after posting a .392 on-base percentage when batting first over his minor league career. And throughout spring training, he was getting the opportunity to bat first, while making the most of it with a .286/.368/.571 slash line in 17 games.

Now 38 games into the regular season, Robles has moved up and down the lineup so many times, it's hard to keep track of him on a nightly basis. He's batted first in 10 games, eighth in 11 and ninth in 15.

One might think that with all that movement, it would be hard for any player - who are so often described as creatures of habit - to find solid production on a consistent basis. And for a while that was true, as Robles struggled when shifted to the nine-hole after batting leadoff for the season's first eight games. He saw his average dip as low as .182 and his on-base percentage fall to as low as .321, all while batting ninth.

So it was fair to question why manager Davey Martinez wouldn't just leave Robles to ride it out in the leadoff spot with Turner and Soto batting behind him. Getting on base, for once, hasn't been Robles' issue with a .341 on-base percentage for the season (on pace for a career high) and with that number increasing to .359 when he's leading off. In fact, Robles has reached base in all nine games he's started as the leadoff hitter, but he hasn't been in the No. 1 spot in the starting lineup since May 2 and that was the first time he was since April 13.

Over the nine games between that May 2 start and Friday's series opener in Arizona, Robles slashed .185/.241/.185 with just two runs scored, five hits, two walks and 10 strikeouts, all while batting seventh or lower, or coming off the bench.

So what was going on with Robles, someone who was very consistent out of the gate to start the season but all of sudden couldn't find any rhythm? All just because he moved down in the order?

Enter the Diamondbacks series where Robles might've turned a corner.

Over the three games in Arizona, all while batting ninth, Robles went 5-for-8 with two runs scored, four doubles, three RBIs and two stolen bases with one walk and one hit by pitch to just one strikeout. An incredible turnaround from what we had seen from him as of late with his slash line now at .234/.341/.306.

So what was the difference?

"I've been keeping the same routine. I just feel like the ball is rolling in my favor right now, and thank God for that, and hopefully it keeps rolling that way," Robles said via interpreter Octavio Martinez after Sunday's 3-0 win during a postgame Zoom session with reporters.

Humility is always nice to see, but Robles' offensive outburst in Phoenix couldn't have simply been an act of God, could it?

"I think it's just a matter of him starting to understand the strike zone and what balls he can and can't hit. And he's doing well right now," Davey Martinez said after Robles' 2-for-4 day on Saturday. "He's getting the ball in the strike zone and he's making good contact. Even the balls he's fouling off, he's having good swings. So it's good to see. We just gotta keep it going and stay on him. He's playing really well. He's running the bases well. He stole a base today, a good decision. So he's doing well. We'll keep working with him, keep staying on him, but if he continues to do that, he's gonna help us in many ways."

And he did so the following day. After a Yadiel Hernandez pinch-hit home run to leadoff the eighth inning and break a scoreless tie, Robles doubled to center field to set up a Turner RBI double to increase the Nats' late lead to 2-0. Martinez said Robles' quick approach at the plate is helping the center fielder be ready for each pitch sooner.

"He's getting ready a little bit earlier, which is kinda nice, and he's using his hands a lot better," Martinez explained before Saturday's game following Robles' two doubles on Friday night. "So he's starting to come around, he's swinging the bat better, so that's awesome. We gotta get him going. If he can get on base for us down there and flip that to the top of the lineup, we're gonna score some runs."

Martinez also mentioned Saturday that this early approach is helping Robles see pitches better and have a better feel for the strike zone.

"It actually helps you identify pitches a little bit better, so he can do that," Martinez said. "Another thing is that we're getting him back to hitting the balls in the strike zone and taking balls that he shouldn't be swinging at."

Robles confirmed Sunday that getting his front foot down earlier in his ABs helps him identify each pitch he sees.

"I think so, absolutely. I think that it helps me see the pitches a little bit better and hopefully make hard contact," he said.

And even when he's not making hard contact, identifying the pitches earlier has allowed him to know the strike zone better, which in turn has led to 13 walks, second-most on the team, and a higher on-base percentage.

"My whole goal this season is to get on base, and then obviously walks will get my on-base percentage up, because I know as long as I'm on base, I can create things to help the team win," said Robles.

Put that all together and we're seeing Robles finally start settling into the season, regardless of where he's hitting in the lineup.

"Yeah, he's going well," Martinez said after Sunday's win. "It's a lot of conversations with him about how to play the game. He's really working good counts, he's trying to stay on top of the baseball, he's doing everything well. He's working counts as well, stealing bases. So it's good. It's just staying on him and letting him understand the game. Like I said before, he's still a really young player. But he's doing well for us. We all know what he can do in the outfield and if he can get on base for us and steal bases for us on occasion like he did tonight, then we're really gonna do well. He's gonna be a good player."

And even if Robles sticks to his humility and believes things just happen to be going his way right now, he's going to continue to work to make sure it stays that way.

"It's just the ball's in my court right now. Thank God that things are falling in my favor right now," he said. "But I have to keep working to have the same results ... and keep working hard and keep maintaining that."