Why the Nationals believe their lineup is good enough as is

PHOENIX - The Nationals, believe it or not, have one of the league's better offenses.

They're fourth in the National League with 497 runs scored. They're tied for third with a .427 slugging percentage, and their .752 OPS ranks fourth. They rank second only to the Cardinals with 139 home runs.

So why all the dismay when this team didn't acquire another bat before Monday's trade deadline?

It probably has something to do with the manner in which the Nationals score their runs. They rely on the longball a lot. They aren't as good stringing hits together, especially in clutch situations. (Note their .256 batting average with runners in scoring position, seventh-best in the league.)

But then comes a night like Monday, when the Nationals rap out 19 hits, scoring 14 runs and going 10-for-18 with runners in scoring position. These are the nights when it doesn't seem like this team needed to acquire any more offense.

"When you have a team as talented as ours, it's tough to add pieces," left fielder Jayson Werth said. "That's kind of been our M.O. over the years; we haven't really done a lot at the deadline. I think that speaks more to the talent and the level of players that we have in-house. I think we've got a good group, and this team - this core group - has been together for a while. So I think there's something to be said about that, too."

Indeed, on paper the Nationals lineup looks like it should be good enough, especially with rookie Trea Turner seizing his opportunity to lead off and play center field. In 17 games, Turner is hitting .318 with a .357 on-base percentage, three doubles, four triple and eight stolen bases in eight tries.

Werth is riding a streak of 34 consecutive games reaching base and sports a .352 on-base percentage since May 1. Daniel Murphy leads the league with a .355 batting average, .626 slugging percentage and 1.021 OPS. Wilson Ramos is right behind him with a .330 batting average. Anthony Rendon is hitting .289 with an .878 OPS and 40 RBIs in his last 70 games.

Yes, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman need to start hitting like the real Bryce Harper and the real Ryan Zimmerman, and now. But the Nationals have the makings of a very productive lineup, one they believe will get the job done by the time it really counts down the stretch and beyond.

"I think we're getting closer to that," Werth said. "I think it's all coming together at the right time. You don't want to play your best ball until the end, that's for sure. I still don't think we've played our best ball. Obviously played good tonight and scored a lot of runs, got some good hits. I think as time goes on and we come down the stretch in a pennant chance, hopefully the whole thing will come together right at the right time."