How Dusty Baker, Nats are dealing with disappointing skid

MILWAUKEE - A couple of hours before Saturday's game - a loss that extended their losing streak to seven games, a season high - the Nationals were sitting at their lockers in the visiting clubhouse at Miller Park, several players nodding their heads and silently mouthing the words to the pulsating beat of a rap tune that was blaring from the speaker in the center of the room.

All of a sudden, the music stopped, and a few seconds later, it was replaced by a jaunty country tune. As players stared with quizzical expressions, bullpen coach Dan Firova stepped away from the computer terminal where he was leaning over pitching coach Mike Maddux and broke into an exaggerated Texas two-step, bouncing from side to side to the twangy tune in a one-man line dance.

Within seconds, the silent room erupted into boisterous laughter, players and staff clapping to encourage Firova's impromptu dance display.

Think a losing streak is weighing heavily on the Nationals? Think again.

No, they aren't happy the road trip that started with two wins has gone so far south so quickly. Yes, they're frustrated by their inability to come through with big hits in clutch situations or get the kind of pitching outings that a loaded rotation is supposed to produce. Some of general manager Mike Rizzo's offseason moves haven't worked as planned and new manager Dusty Baker has been forced to dig deep into his motivational catalogue to freshen the message of encouragement on a daily basis.

"Worry doesn't do any good because worry's going to take care of itself," Baker said. "I've learned not to worry. I've learned to be concerned. There's a difference between concerned and worried. Worried does no good. Zero. All worry does it give you ulcers and high blood (pressure) and heart attacks and I'm not going to have any of those."

Here's a dose of baseball reality: There are 24 teams with worse records than the Nationals, staring up at the guys with the curly W on their caps and wishing they were so lucky.

Even with a seven-game losing streak. Even with Stephen Strasburg, newly signed to a seven-year, $175 million extension, scratched twice in the past week because of a puzzling upper back strain. Even in the midst of a forgettable road trip that could morph into a three-game showdown with the Mets for first place in the National League East.

From the stars to the fringe guys, from the most important coach to the hardworking staff members most casual fans couldn't name if their lives depended on it, everyone knows what's at stake. Nothing needs to be said. It's plainly - and after seven straight losses, painfully - evident.

"What are you going to say? (Are) there any right answers? We just need to find a way to win a game tomorrow," outfielder Jayson Werth said matter-of-factly after Saturday's defeat.

There are many ways teams deal with losing streaks. Under previous manager Matt Williams, hitters would have gripped their bats so hard that they turned them to sawdust before trying to hit seven-run homers. Pitchers might have put a few extra mph on their fastballs. People sometimes try to do too much, and in doing so, really don't do much of anything to help a dismal situation.

That's definitely not Baker's style, and it's one of the reasons the Nats hired him.

"When you're in a skid, there's a number of reasons," Baker explained before Saturday's game. "We give up a home run at the wrong time. We give up a hit at the wrong time. We didn't get a hit at the right time, or something defensively. There's no one answer as to why you're in it. We all contribute to it, including myself as a leader. We just all accept it, that it's already happened and that it's in the past. All we can do is make it better."

And anyone clamoring for rah-rah speeches or come-to-Jesus closed-door meetings will be disappointed. Baker likes the business-as-usual approach because that's what he thinks will help the Nats revert to, well, business as usual.

"There's no one way to handle a skid," he said. "The best thing to do is to come out and you get more determined, more perseverance. ... You try to above all have the players be natural, because when you're not going good, most of the time you're being unnatural, you're trying to do too much."

Listen carefully to the words of Gio Gonzalez, who has pitched so poorly over his past seven outings that most teams would be talking about pulling him out of the rotation. When he talks about letting his teammates down, his words are heartfelt and speak to the sense of community and commitment Baker has created since spring training.

"Just staying positive and being around guys that are positive," Gonzalez said. "Each one of our guys are trying to pick us all up. I'm just trying to be around guys that are in that same mind frame of just staying positive and keeping fighting."

That, says Baker, is what will see the Nationals through an admittedly rough patch. But if you've got an idea of how to make things better, Baker is all ears.

"I'm a positive thinker, you know what I mean? ... I don't like to have a whole bunch of team meetings," he said. "That's what bad (teams) do. A player here, a player there and say, 'Hey, man, I think you need to improve on this' or 'You need to work on this or that.' You just have to ... provide encouragement without falseness about what you're encouraging them about. If you tell them the truth and you tell it like it is, but you try not to dwell on it. You make them aware of whatever's on your mind. I ask them to tell me what's on their mind. Sometimes they come up with some good ideas, and I like to think I come up with some good ideas."

If Baker is starting to sound like one of those cheesy posters - think the kitten hanging by its claws with the caption, "Hang on for one more day!" - that's fine. All Baker wants his charges to do is to look hard at themselves and what they've accomplished - or failed to accomplish - and take stock. And then figure out how today can be better than yesterday.

"Nobody hates to lose more than me, and nobody's more prepared than I am," Baker said. "It's not easy either way. It's not designed to be easy. You hit a bump in the road, you're going through an unfortunate time, but the main thing is you can't feel sorry for yourself. Because they're not feeling sorry for you. You just got to come out and tighten your belt and say, 'Hey, boys, today's No. 1.' It's the only thing we can do something about. We can't do anything about those days that already happened in the past. All you can do is try to control today."