With better approach, Nats enjoy best offensive day in weeks

It wasn't simply that the Nationals scored 11 runs today, five of those in the first inning. It was the fact that they scored those 11 runs without a single ball reaching the bleachers. And that 10 of those runs were scored via hits that landed either in center or the opposite field.

Davey Martinez couldn't have drawn up a better game plan for success from a lineup that too often this season has relied on pulling the ball and driving it over the fence instead of going the other way and scoring via singles and doubles.

"Absolutely," the rookie manager said of the Nats' 11-2 thumping of the Rays. "They stayed on the ball, pushed the ball out, which was nice."

Martinez has been asking for that kind of approach for a while now, but aside from a couple members of his regular lineup, these guys just don't consistently do that sort of thing.

Perhaps today was an anomaly. Perhaps it was a breakthrough. Whatever the case, everyone in the home clubhouse was pleased with both the approach and the results.

"We're seeing the ball pretty well," Anthony Rendon said. "We're seeing the ball deep. That's a good thing for us."

Rendon, one of the few hitters who does use the entire field on a regular basis, showed off his complete offensive game and celebrated his 28th birthday by going 4-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and four runs. His two-run double in the first inning came on a line drive to left-center; his RBI double in the sixth came on a ball hit to right field.

"Maybe my birthday should be every day," the third baseman quipped.

The more encouraging performances today came from Michael A. Taylor and Juan Soto, each trying to prove he deserves to remain in the lineup once Adam Eaton returns from the disabled list (possibly this weekend).

Taylor, who has a tendency to be as pull-happy as anybody in the league, shortened up his swing and drove a first-inning double to right field, a second-inning single to center and a sixth-inning single to right.

"I think it's an approach thing," said Taylor, who is batting .315 with six doubles, two triples, two homers and 10 RBIs over his last 15 games. "Mechanically, when my swing is sound and in the right spot, it makes things easier than manipulating the ball and forcing the ball the other way."

Soto, despite his age (19) and lack of experience (16 major league games), has shown a remarkably mature hitting approach, whether in taking walks, hitting the ball the other way or succeeding against left-handers. And it put it all on display today, going 2-for-4 with a walk and an opposite-field double, all of his plate appearances coming against southpaws.

Why has the rookie been able to do what so many veterans have not been able to do?

"His ability to lay off bad pitches, really," Martinez said. "He knows the strike zone really well. He's not afraid to take his walks, and he's not afraid to hit with two strikes. With that combination, he gives you a really good AB."

The Nationals had a lot of good at-bats today. It allowed them to coast to victory and a two-game sweep of a struggling opponent.

Whether it's a sign of better things to come, or merely a one-off, remains to be seen.