Werth, Turner and Harper big for the Nats offense to be consistent

He maybe would like to have more hits during this run, but left fielder Jayson Werth being on base so many times is good for the offense.

On Sunday with a walk in the first inning, Werth extended his on-base streak to a career-high 38 games. It extends the longest streak in Major League Baseball this season.

Miami's outfielder Marcell Ozuna had a 36-game streak from April 21 to May 29.

The longest Nationals streak of all-time was a 43-game on-base streak by first baseman Ryan Zimmerman from April 8 to May 25 in 2009.

Werth is hitting .248 (33-for-133) with 11 doubles, three home runs, and a .379 on-base percentage during the streak, so you know he would love to be driving in more runs. But base runners are critical for the Nationals offense this year, especially when Werth was batting near the top of the order so that solo homers were more likely to be two-run shots or three-run homers with men on base.

Having Trea Turner igniting the top of the order also is huge for making defenses work harder and account for his speed. Grounders in the infield are now becoming adventures for opposing defenses because Turner gets out of the box and flies down the line. We have already seen many errant throws to first to try to catch up with Turner.

The other key for the Nationals in August is to somehow get Bryce Harper going. And he doesn't need to be National League MVP or even April Player of the Month lethal. He just needs to hit the pitches he normally gets to. Right now he is missing middle-of-the-plate, low-90's mph fastballs. He usually cranks these offerings for homers, or at least hard-hit singles.

But these pitches are being fouled off by Harper right now. Maybe these two days off to rest his sore neck will help Harper. The Nationals need him to contribute offensively, even just a little bit, so they can get the run-scoring machine to a point where their starting pitching and offense are too much for opponents to handle in a nine-inning game.