Pressure's on veterans to produce until lineup gets healthy

MILWAUKEE - The Nationals are in a real bind right now. That's not some kind of major revelation, but it's the truth.

When you lose the Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5 hitters from your opening day lineup, plus the guy who took over as cleanup hitter because of one of those injuries, plus the No. 4 outfielder who had been thrust into the daily lineup, you're going to struggle to score runs.

Few teams could overcome that many injuries to that many important hitters. (And before anyone asks about the Yankees, they're currently without their Nos. 2, 3, 7 and 9 hitters from opening day. Also, 15 of their 19 wins have come against the Orioles, White Sox, Tigers, Royals, Angels and Giants. The Nats' schedule has been - and will continue to be - far more daunting.)

There is reason to believe the lineup is slowly going to look more normal in the coming days and weeks. Anthony Rendon is eligible to come off the injured list Tuesday, and Davey Martinez sounded optimistic that will happen. Juan Soto is eligible to return Saturday. Trea Turner is close to being cleared to hit and throw.

So help is on the way. But in the meantime, the remaining healthy players are going to have to find a way to get the job done.

And thus the real pressure falls on the handful of veterans who are playing every day for this team. They've provided a mixed bag so far.

Howie Kendrick has been fantastic, batting .338 with four homers, 14 RBIs, a .400 on-base percentage and .959 OPS. But the 35-year-old can't play every single day. Martinez felt compelled to give him Sunday's game off, recognizing he had started seven of the previous eight days, missed most of last season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, missed most of spring training with a strained hamstring and would've been playing on a cold, wet day in Philadelphia.

Adam Eaton has been pretty good. He's been a good tablesetter, posting a .351 on-base percentage and stealing four bases in five attempts. But Eaton hasn't been as productive with men on base, batting .269 with a .609 OPS in 50 plate appearances. No, it's not really his job to drive in runs. But given the lack of big boppers in the lineup, he is going to need to take more advantage of the RBI opportunities he does get.

Brian Dozier really needs to step up after a poor start to his season. The veteran second baseman is batting .186 with a .297 on-base percentage and .640 OPS. He's got five homers but only seven RBIs, and that's a problem. He may get a hold of one every once in a while, but the Nationals need better situational hitting from him. With runners in scoring position, Dozier is batting .118 with a .544 OPS.

The Nationals' catching tandem has proven to be a nice upgrade from last season, as was expected when Mike Rizzo acquired Yan Gomes and Kurt Suzuki. Combined they're hitting .280 with seven homers, 24 RBIs and an .815 OPS. And Martinez has maximized their opportunities, often using the backup catcher on any given night in a big pinch-hitting spot (like Suzuki's three-run homer during Saturday's win).

It's easy to look at the Nationals' young replacements for injured players (Carter Kieboom, Jake Noll, Wilmer Difo, Andrew Stevenson) and place blame on them. But you can only expect so much from those guys in this situation.

If the Nats are going to survive this brutal stretch without a bunch of their biggest bats, the remaining healthy veterans are going to have to take the lead.