Ben Revere tweaks his swing with a better start in mind

LAKELAND, Fla. - Center fielder Ben Revere is doing just what the Nationals want him to do. Or is he?

Two hits in three at-bats in an 11-5 loss to the Tigers on Wednesday lifted his Grapefruit League average to .500. That means he's getting on base.

But two of his five hits so far have been for extra bases, including a third-inning double into the right field corner off Justin Verlander. And it's not just dumb early-spring luck that has Revere powering up. He spent the offseason studying video and trying to figure out how to add a different dimension to his offensive game.

"The sound of the ball coming off my bat is a lot louder than it used to be," he said. "This offseason, after the playoff run with the Blue Jays, I kind of went to study ... my swing, try to get back to ... driving the ball in the gaps."

What transpired is a minor tweak: Revere is bringing his hands a little closer to his body. This allows him to turn on inside pitches more effectively instead of being jammed or just rolling over on them.

Revere admits this poses an interesting dilemma: Should a guy whose game is focused on his wheels be trying to put the ball in the air?

Lest you think his altered swing makes him something other than the prototypical leadoff hitter, Revere understands and implores you not to worry.

"The coaches don't want me to do that. I don't either," he said. "My game's hitting line drives, hit ground balls and get on base. If I do hit a home run, hey, you do find a four-leaf clover somewhere eventually. To me, I've got to just play my game."

That's good news for Nats manager Dusty Baker, who scoffed at the notion of Revere trying to elevate the ball more instead of focusing on beating it into the ground and running hard or rifling line drives into the opposition's outfield.

"But we don't need Ben to feel more powerful," Baker said. "We need Ben to get on base. You know what I'm saying? Occasional power, we'll take it. But I don't want Ben thinking too much power so the opposition wants Ben up in the air. We'll see."

Revere's thinking is rooted in the notion that he wants to get off to a good start. Though he's hit at least .294 in each of the past four seasons, Revere is a career .243 hitter in March and April. A better jump on the season and his average would be, as he puts it, "with the big boys."

But there's a big difference between feeling comfortable in the Florida sunshine and warm temperatures, and getting off to a good start when the Nats head north and the climate will be ever-changing for a few weeks.

"I've seen guys that can kill the ball in spring training, then go into the season and can't find a hit," Revere said. "I've seen guys struggle and come out swinging. It's not how you start, it's how you finish."

A few other observations after the Nats' four-game Grapefruit League winning streak was halted:

* Baker isn't too worried about left-hander Gio Gonzalez, who struggled with his command and mechanics in 2 2/3 innings, throwing only 28 of his 60 pitches for strikes.

"You saw when that wind was blowing out and the way the balls were carrying, you know it was going to a high-scoring game" Baker said. "I just hoped that we had outslugged them. But when you're playing an American League high-powered offensive team, you can't give away outs and we gave away a lot of outs. We were asking for trouble and that's kind of what we got. Boy, there were some wild sounds coming. They have a good team, a powerful team. ... We made them look more powerful."

The three errors the Nats committed in a four-run Tigers third - two by shortstop Danny Espinosa - are a bigger concern. Third baseman Anthony Rendon had the other. Espinosa and second baseman Daniel Murphy stayed back in Viera yesterday to work with bench coach Chris Speier on their keystone play.

"Sometimes it takes a day or two," Baker said. "We got some sure-handed guys who made some errors. Hopefully, we got it out of our system. That's the worst (defensive) game we played."

As for Gonzalez's mechanical issues, Baker said: "He's conscious of it. I'm trying to stop him from beating himself up about it this early. It's too early to beat yourself up."

* Brendan Ryan was replaced by Trea Turner at shortstop in the bottom of the seventh after being removed from the game for precautionary reasons, Baker said. The manager wouldn't reveal what type of injury Ryan had sustained, saying only "he felt something."

* Right-hander Lucas Giolito was touched for a home run in the eighth, the first run he's allowed this spring, but also struck out the side. Baker noted how the top pitching prospect is vulnerable when he throws a fastball, but that no one is connecting with his off-speed stuff.