Washington Nationals’ Manager Davey Martinez preaches patience and persistence, telling his players to keep grinding, keep seeing pitches, keep finding ways to get on, and the hits will come.
Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks was the proof.
An offense that had struggled for the first 10 games of the season to score baserunners broke out against one of the National League’s bright, young pitchers and an Arizona bullpen that doesn’t like to pitch from behind.
The Nationals erupted for a season-high 15 hits, five with runners in scoring position. The Nationals put the leadoff runner aboard a season-high seven times, and drove that runner in three times.