Revere needs to get back on track for Nats offense to ignite

Nationals center fielder Ben Revere struggled to get on base Friday night in a 5-3 setback to San Diego.

Revere went 0-for-5 with three groundouts to second base and a pair of center field flyouts.

The rough patch is beginning to pile up for Revere. He has two hits in his last seven games and is hitting only .176 (9-for-51) in his previous 15 contests.

Manager Dusty Baker said the Padres were able to get Revere to go under in his swings. Baker said Revere trying to hit the ball up is not going to get him on base.

"Well, but that's not his game," Baker said. "They want him up in the air. They don't want him on the ground. They don't want him to the opposite field. They want him in the air. Same with Trea Turner. They want him up in the air or they want him to not make contact at all. That's what the opposition is doing to them, and it's up to them to combat it."

Revere hit a home run, his second of the season, in the Nationals' 8-1 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday. Baker has said before he actually doesn't want Revere to be trying for home runs or thinking about them. He needs Revere to slap the ball on the ground between infielders and get on base to set up the power bats behind him.

But against San Diego, Revere said he wasn't finding those breaks in the defense.

"It's tough definitely, you see the pitcher and you see him good and you get a good pitch to hit but you just beat it into the ground and that's just baseball. (It's) a frustrating sport in all," Revere said.

I'm seeing the ball good, just results ain't happening. Missing some pitches, fouling them off usually, I'll hit the other way, hit it up the middle and bean balls into the ground, usually I get out but at least I hit them hard."

Revere missed part of the start of the season after suffering a right oblique strain that forced him to miss 27 games. He admitted that played a factor into his slow July. He says this is the toughest slump he's had in his career.

"All the guys say its tough to get your good rhythm in the middle of a season but I'm out there battling my tail off definitely coming off a serious injury that could jeopardize your swing a little bit," Revere said.

"First time I've gone through this struggle in my professional career so it's just, I'll be on my knees, keep praying. Hopefully one of these games will get me going and help this team get some more W's."

It is critical for the top of the order to be more consistent for the Nationals to stay atop the National League East. They have all the big bats behind Revere, but without him, they can't survive on solo shots.

Revere said he sees a glimmer of hope because he feels like he's making good contact, just not finding holes right now.

"It's definitely encouraging," Revere said. "Me being the competitor that I am, I get ticked off when I hit two or three balls right at them, that's the way it been since I was a little kid. If I get back to that, just trying to hit balls and everything, usually the (hit) also comes."