A healthy Wilson Ramos is a hit

Wilson Ramos isn't just helping his pitchers behind the plate, he is also terrorizing opposing pitchers at the plate.

Braves right-hander Cody Martin was Ramos' latest victim yesterday. With two outs, the game tied in the bottom of the eighth and Ryan Zimmerman standing on first, Ramos sliced a double into the right field corner. Zimmerman chugged all the way around to score the go-ahead run as the Nationals went on to win 5-4 and sweep the Braves.

"He's got a knack for driving runs in because he stays in the middle of the diamond and the other way so well," Nationals manager Matt Williams said of Ramos. "He just stays on the ball so good. He's been swinging good. He's been swinging at strikes. He's getting good pitches to hit and being patient enough to get those pitches and delivering for us. He's playing well."

Ramos' team-leading .327 batting average is tops among National League catchers. He enters tonight's matchup in Arizona on a 13-game hitting streak, one shy of the best mark of his career. During the hot stretch, Ramos is 21-for-50 (.420).

"I feel good right now," Ramos said. "Concentrating, pretty good swing at the ball, hitting the ball hard. That's what I'm doing right now, and I feel comfortable with that. Try to get a good pitch and try to do my job."

Ramos has been one of the game's consistent hitting catchers - when he is playing. That's been the issue though; he hasn't played enough the past four seasons. A torn right ACL cost him all but 25 games in 2012 and several bouts with troublesome hamstrings have limited him significantly over the last two years. But Ramos reported to spring training feeling strong with a goal of catching a career-high 120 to 130 games in 2015.

If he any Nats player can relate to Ramos' battles with the disabled list, it's Zimmerman.

"Willy's great," Zimmerman said. "For a couple years now, I've always said I want to see what that guy can do with 120, 130 games, because he's obviously a great catcher. But offensively, he's very talented. If he can stay healthy to the end of the year, it's another guy that can put up 20 home runs. It's hard to find a catcher that can do that. He always has good at-bats, seems to come up big in a lot of key situations."

Of course, Ramos' main responsibility is managing one of the game's elite pitching staffs throughout the game. Much of the focus is on his ability to work with the Nats' imposing starting rotation, but his ability to call a smart game in late-inning situations has helped closer Drew Storen convert nine of 10 save chances so far this season.

As one of the game's best relievers, Storen recognizes the added bonus Ramos provides with his offense.

"Amazing," Storen said. "He's a real big threat up there at the plate. He's got great power to the opposite field. That's a scary thing when you have a guy with that kind of strength that can go opposite field. That's pretty nice to have behind the dish."