Turner and Taylor's improved hitting will spark Nats offense

Here are some promising hitting notes for Trea Turner and Michael A. Taylor.

In Sunday's first game, Turner hit the ball hard which was a good sign after an unusually quiet week.

Turner was 0-for-13 at Philadephia and 2-for-11 against the Orioles.

In Game 1 on Sunday at home against the Phillies again, Turner crushed a two-run homer, finishing only 1-for-5. But manager Dusty Baker said the hitting statistics don't tell the whole story.

"He hit three balls on the nose," Baker said. "Had nothing to show for it the first couple balls, but like I told him, 'man if you just keep hitting that ball the way you're hitting it today', he's gonna get a lot of hits."

Late in Game 1, Taylor popped a bunt up to the catcher in a big moment. Baker said it's a warning sign of what hasn't gone well in small ball situations: moving a runner up or getting guys in scoring position.

"We also have to have better fundamentals," Baker said. "I don't know the last time a position player got a bunt down. That was a situation where you couldn't afford a strikeout, couldn't afford a double play. On the road, we would have played it differently because they have the last up and you're playing for the tie and the potential win."

In Game 2, Taylor delivered the biggest hit of the game: a two-run shot off the foul pole that lifted the Nationals to a 6-5 lead. Despite the bad bunt in Game 1, the homer and recent hot hitting has elevated Taylor's play at the plate. He has gone 7-for-16 (.438) in his last four games.

"His pitch selection is better," Baker said after Game 1. "He's not swinging at as many balls as he was in the dirt or balls up over his head. If you get in the strike zone, you've got a good chance of putting wood on the ball. That's what I'm seeing."