Murphy keeps hitting at Wrigley, and with runners on base

CHICAGO - Daniel Murphy likes to hit at Wrigley Field. That's something he has established over his entire career, and especially in the last few seasons.

Murphy isn't alone in taking pleasure from stepping into the batter's box inside the Friendly Confines, which has been a hitter's haven since the iconic bleachers were constructed in 1937. But the Nationals second baseman goes beyond the norm here, as evidenced by his astounding numbers.

Over the course of his career - including playoffs - Murphy is hitting .406 (39-for-96) with eight homers, 15 RBIs and a 1.170 OPS. And those numbers went up during Friday's 4-2 victory over the Cubs.

Murphy went 3-for-4 with two homers and a single, accounting for the Nats' first three runs of the afternoon.

His first-inning, two-run shot to right gave his team a quick lead, but it was his sixth-inning solo shot to left that was perhaps most notable. Murphy hits the ball the other way with regularity, but not out of the park. In fact, this was only his second opposite-field home run in 1 2/3 seasons with the Nationals.

"Felt pretty good," he said. "I don't hit the ball the other way a lot, I guess. But I had a 2-0 fastball up and out over the plate, and I just really felt like I got my 'A' swing off on it. It happened to go to left-center."

Murphy loves to talk about his 'A' swings, when he makes perfect contact. And he has long professed those are more possible when there's "traffic on the bases," forcing pitchers to avoid nibbling around the strike zone with him.

Sure enough, three of his four at-bats Friday came with men on base, two of them with runners in scoring position.

"From an offensive perspective, when you have traffic on the basepaths, it puts more pressure on the opposing pitcher," he said. "It creates holes that aren't usually there. It's a little tougher for the defense to full-on position you where they want to, because it's a double-play situation. So it's just an advantageous spot to be able to hit with runners in scoring position today."

Murphy is a good hitter any time he steps to the plate. He's an otherworldly hitter when he steps to the plate with traffic on the bases. His .430 batting average with runners in scoring position ranks second in the majors to only Nolan Arenado's .443 average.

Of course, Murphy isn't alone among Nationals who thrive in these situations. The entire 3-4-5-6 of Dusty Baker's lineup boasts batting averages of at least .308 and an OPS of at least .972 with runners in scoring position.

"It makes it a lot easier when you have the pitcher in the stretch vs. out of the windup most of the game," Baker said. "I'll take it no matter who, but those guys are there for a reason."