Kyle Schwarber’s home run barrage has been impressive, but Josh Bell, the club’s other big offseason acquisition, has been quietly plugging away with hitting coaches Kevin Long and Pat Roessler, doing all that he can to rebound from the slow start to his first season with the Washington Nationals.
Bell, 28, did struggle over the first month-plus of the season, but since May 13th, the Nats’ slugger has put up a .298/.360/.544 line with seven doubles, seven homers, 11 walks, and 26 Ks in 35 games and 125 plate appearances, and the seventh of those home runs was a big one, his second career grand slam, which put the Nationals up 11-9 in what ended up being a 13-12 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.