Davey Martinez on impact of Kevin Long, plus more notes

ATLANTA - The Nationals have raced out of the blocks with a 4-1 record, scoring 35 runs in their first five games. The lineup has been outstanding and has found ways to hit in several situations. Many could point to the work of hitting coach Kevin Long and how quickly he has become acclimated to his new team.

"It definitely helps," said Nationals manager Davey Martinez of the relationship Long has with this hitters. "He's another guy. We talk about building relationships. He came in and started building relationships right away. That's good. The players engage with him every day. They spent a lot of time in the cage together. He's got to get to know them. So far, it's been working."

One example of how well Long has done is the ability of the bench to contribute. Outfielder Brian Goodwin has done a nice job in limited duty, hitting .400 with one homer and seven RBIs to begin 2018.

"I love having him," said Martinez. "Like you said, he could play every day on every other team. But he gets it, and all he wants to do is contribute. What he did today is not easy, to come off the bench and get popped in there in the late innings, then come up with a big hit for us. But that's the kind of guy he is. He's a team player. He loves to play."

* Right-hander Tanner Roark said advice from Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer guided him back to simplifying his windup. That was on display in his seven innings of one-run work on Monday night. Martinez appreciates that the big four can work together to help each other get better, all for the greater good. There are no petty jealousies between Gio Gonzalez, Strasburg, Scherzer and Roark.

"Absolutely. These guys know each other," said Martinez. "They've been together a few years now. They're all in it. They want to win. If they see something that they can help, they talk about it. Roark worked on it all spring and he loves it. It's helped with his command, repeating pitches. I get it and I love it.

"When I was with the Braves, we had a similar group with (John) Smoltz and (Greg) Maddux and those guys. You always saw them communicating and doing stuff together. This group is the same way."

* Is it difficult for veteran Howie Kendrick to switch back and forth from left field to second base? He committed an error tracking a ball in game one Monday night while in left field. Kendrick says he feels comfortable at either spot. And it's actually is a challenge he embraces.

"I don't really worry about it too much," Kendrick said of playing different spots on the field. "Last year, I played a lot of left, the year before I played a lot of left. I just try to make the routine plays and if I do make mistakes, I just try to move past them and learn from them and just try to do my job as a position player.

"I knew when I re-signed here, and even last year when I came over here, I was going to be moving around a lot. So I kind of look forward to it. It keeps things interesting. I just want to do my job as a teammate."