Taylor keeps outfield consistent with injuries to others; Storen is not relying on strikeouts

With all the injuries, especially to the outfielders, the importance of solid play from center fielder Michael A. Taylor cannot be ignored.

Taylor had four hits and three RBIs in the first two games of the Orioles series. In his last 15 games, he is hitting .273 (15-for-55) with a homer and seven RBIs. His strikeout total is high, especially for a leadoff man, but he continues to battle in each at-bat, making the pitcher work, which is what the other eight in the order need from that spot.

He made a good catch on a flyball to center field on Friday after colliding with left fielder Clint Robinson. The over 46,000 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards made it tough for Robinson to hear Taylor's "I got it! I got it!" call off. Taylor and Robinson ran into each other like a football play, which normally means the ball gets dislodged and extra bases for the opponent.

But Taylor caught the ball and slid off the collision. He showed no ill effects from the encounter, demonstrating his athletic ability to just bounce off the play and keep going. His speed and glove ability in the outfield, usually in left field or center field, has helped maintain that high-level of defense with Jayson Werth (wrist) and Denard Span (back) out with injuries.

His base hit scored Danny Espinosa early on to once again give the Nationals a 2-1 advantage. In the ninth, his bloop single down the right field line provided a critical insurance RBI single that gave the Nationals their final margin in a 7-4 win at Baltimore.

"He's just more and more comfortable, the more games he plays," manager Matt Williams told reporters after last night's game. "He's getting a feel for the league. He's getting a feel for himself and what he is as a player. He's got power, we know that, but he's really cutting down on his swings and misses, and putting the ball in play. And if he can do, that then he's got opportunity."

Taylor is a quiet guy, pretty shy, but that doesn't mean he isn't aggressive on defense or swings a solid bat at the plate. He had back-to-back singles Friday night batting in the nine hole, his first hit gave the Nationals their first lead. Saturday, he did it again.

Taylor has been crucial to the Nationals maintaining some consistency with all the changes in their lineup the first 80-plus games of the season.

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Closer Drew Storen got the job done again Saturday, recording his 26th save. It was his 92nd career save, so he now has recorded 28 percent of his career saves just over the halfway point of this season.

Storen has been particularly effective in his last seven games, recording six saves and holding a 1.29 ERA. And he is getting outs via the groundball or flyout. In his last 21 putouts, only two have been by strikeout. He has induced 24 grounders or fly balls the last seven games.

He has also not been rattled with men on base, focusing on the next batter and not letting the base runners behind him alter his thinking or execution of the next pitch. That is an example of Storen's calm under pressure to start this season.

"In this ballpark, I'm just trying to miss the barrel," Storen told the media last night. "To get into problems there, it's big, because you know they're going for it. Just kind of mixing and matching a little bit and trying not to lose something over the middle of the plate."