Late in Tuesday night’s loss to the Atlanta Braves, Kyle Schwarber hit a chopper over the pitcher’s head. The ball wasn’t particularly well hit — and the charging second baseman still threw Schwarber out by several paces.
But Josh Bell, who stood on third base with one out, trotted home. The run didn’t matter in the grand scheme of the loss. Still, Schwarber’s production stood out to Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez.
“Put the ball in play, put the pressure on the other team,” Martinez said. “Because anything can happen when you do that.”
Washington needs more of that.