Nationals' two-out RBIs, patient at-bats key to series win over Brewers

It was nice to see the offense take advantage of opportunities in winning their series against the Brewers.

In 6-1 and 9-5 wins over the weekend against Milwaukee, the Nationals went 6-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

Even more importantly, the Nationals were able to get two-out base hits that scored runs. In wins Saturday and Sunday, the Nationals combined for 12 two-out RBIs.

Danny Espinosa and Anthony Rendon each had three RBIs Sunday, while Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond also added one each in the 9-5 victory. Pretty amazing statistic here: Eight of their possible nine RBIs on Sunday came with two outs.

On Saturday, Michael A. Taylor had a pair of two-out RBIs, and Jayson Werth and Rendon had the other two in the 6-1 win. So four of the six potential RBIs Saturday came with two-outs in the inning.

Manager Matt Williams believes the hitters at top of the lineup are patient. That forces the opposing starter to throw a lot of pitches. Once he gets to the lower half of the order and late into an inning, he's tired and his pitches maybe aren't as crisp as they were to open the inning. Having Werth and Rendon at the top of the lineup helps this process.

"The offensive approach is important," Williams said. "Jayson at the top of the lineup saw a lot of pitches. Anthony worked counts. Zim walked a couple of times. So that just creates opportunity. Those type of offensive at-bats are important.

"Yeah, guys are going to hit balls out of the ballpark on occasion," Williams continued. "But that's not the measure of our success. It comes from those extended at-bats and extended innings. That, offensively, I hope continues to happen."

Extending innings are key. When Matt Garza flubbed a transfer to first base with two outs early and Desmond was safe, the Nationals had their rally going from 2-1 down that eventually turned into a 9-5 win.

"If we can continue to do that we got a chance," Williams said.

*

The Padres have won four consecutive series as they arrive in D.C. Tuesday: Reds, Rockies, Braves and Cardinals. Joe Ross' older brother Tyson Ross will oppose Max Scherzer Wednesday night. Joe Ross will just miss the Padres, he is scheduled for Friday night against Miami. The Dodgers (3-6) and Giants (2-5) have combined to lose 11 of 16 games since facing the Nationals last week. San Francisco has had a particularly tough road trip with back-to-back series losses at the red-hot Pirates and at the uber-hot Cardinals this past week.