While Harper recovers, Nationals struggling to score runs

MILWAUKEE - Even when they lost a host of key regulars to injury over the season's first 4 1/2 months, the Nationals managed to make up for it, thanks to consistent production from the heart of their lineup and the performances of several replacements.

And so, on Aug. 12 this team ranked second in the majors with 5.44 runs per game, second with a .275 batting average and third with a .340 on-base percentage. But in the 22 games they've played since, the Nationals have seen their offensive production plummet. During this stretch, capped by today's 7-2 loss to the Brewers, they have ranked 22nd in the majors with 4.05 runs per game, 27th with a .233 batting average and 27th with a .305 on-base percentage.

It's almost as if they've been trying to play these last 22 games without one particularly valuable member of their roster.

Bryce Harper's absence isn't the only reason the Nationals have stopped hitting. But it's not an insignificant reason, either.

"I think there's definitely a correlation," first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "Pretty good player. Not that others of us haven't had experience hitting third. It's not really that. It's more just the depth of the lineup. One of our strengths all year, when everyone's hot at the same time, obviously it's outrageous. But then it's hard for five guys to all not be hitting at the same time. It's a lot easier for two or three guys to not be hitting."

More than two or three Nationals are not hitting at the moment, and that's been a problem. Trea Turner has come alive in the last week, feeling comfortable again after missing two months with a broken wrist. And Howie Kendrick and Anthony Rendon have remained consistent producers.

But the numbers start dropping after that. Zimmerman, who did hit his 30th homer of the season today, is batting .258 since the Harper injury. Daniel Murphy is batting .231. Michael A. Taylor is batting .219. Matt Wieters is batting .216. Jayson Werth is batting .158.

It's a natural instinct, when a star player is injured, to start pressing and try to make up for the lost production. How, then, do these players prevent that from happening?

"Try to have good at-bats," Murphy said.

Does he feel like the team hasn't had those lately?

"I don't necessarily know about that," he said. "Just continue to grind out good at-bats. The other guys get paid, too. I thought they threw the ball really well this series."

The Brewers staff did pitch exceptionally well all weekend, holding the Nationals to eight runs and 19 hits in four games, striking out 42 batters along the way. They got batters to swing at fastballs up above the zone and breaking balls down out of the zone.

"They've got some real good arms," manager Dusty Baker said. "They were effectively wild. And like you saw today, their bullpen, everybody came out of the bullpen throwing some gas. A lot of it was up, and a lot of the breaking balls were down. So they pitched us tough this series."

The Nationals gave proper credit to the opposition, both Milwaukee's pitching and defensive positioning. But they also recognized their own failings, most notably in their mental approach to this series, which comes in the middle of a particularly grueling portion of the schedule.

"I think some of the guys are a little worn," Baker said. "The concentration level is off some. You don't use it as an excuse, but we are in a 21-games-in-20-days (stretch). That's a lot this late in the season. You can tell the guys' focus and concentration isn't the same. We'll get through this streak. We've got seven more games to go, and then we'll take a break. But we've got to get our act together down in Florida, and we'll be better there than here."

The Nationals tonight head to Miami, where they'll open a three-game series Monday against a Marlins club they swept last week at home.

Harper won't be back for that series. At this point, there's still no timetable for his return from a significant bone bruise in his left knee and strain of his calf muscle.

In the meantime, the guys that remain from what not long ago was one of baseball's most potent lineups will need to find a way to snap out of this funk.

"I think it's easier for us, because we know," Zimmerman said. "A younger team, it's harder. It's a tough league, man. It's tough. The pitchers are really good, too. We've gone through some times where we're scoring eight, nine runs a night, and that's great and fun. And then you go through times where it feels like it takes everything you have to score one, two runs. You've just got to keep grinding through it."