Nats find spark at plate after switching up batting order

MILWAUKEE — Manager Dave Martinez’s goal Sunday was to extend the lineup for a team that has been searching for offense. The end result was a dominating 8-2 victory over the NL Central-leading Brewers at American Family Field.

“For me, it’s about the guys coming out today and just performing the way they did,” Martinez said. “They played hard today, and we were able to come up with a big win.”

The Nationals have been looking for a spark at the plate amid a week-long scoring scarcity. Following Saturday’s 5-1 loss, Martinez decided to make a change. While the batting order only matters the first time through the lineup, Martinez has emphasized, it carries some extra consideration when it pertains to the production of slugger Juan Soto (who entered Sunday 2-for-20 in his past six games) and the heart of the order. 

“We’ve just got to continue to figure out how we can score runs,” Martinez said pregame.

For the first time this season, Martinez moved Soto from the No. 2 spot — where he has been since Spring Training — back to the three hole, where he has hit the majority of his career. With that, Martinez kept César Hernández in the leadoff spot and bumped the hot-hitting Keibert Ruiz to second to increase the chances of Soto coming to the plate with runners on ahead of Nelson Cruz and Josh Bell. Ruiz went 1-for-5 with one run plated.

Soto was 1-for-5 with two RBIs.

“They had opportunities to drive in some runs, and they did,” Martinez said of Ruiz and Soto. “That was big for us.”

While the move was designed to boost the heavy hitters, the entire lineup made an impact, top to bottom. Each batter — minus Bell — recorded at least one hit, with Hernández, Cruz, Yadiel Hernandez, Maikel Franco and Lane Thomas tallying two apiece.

“It feels very good,” César Hernández said. “Everybody had a chance today, we were all hitting. It seemed like everybody got a base hit.”

The Nats’ collective effort was highlighted when the team batted around the order in the fourth inning. They connected for a hit on eight consecutive plate appearances, tying a team record (2005-present) set on Aug. 20, 2016, against the Braves. Part of this streak included back-to-back RBI bunts, the first time achieving that feat in team history, per Elias Sports Bureau. In total, the Nationals’ six runs off eight hits in the fourth were their most in a single frame this season.

“It’s just kind of been saving all our hits for one game right now,” Thomas said. “I think maybe that’ll spark something, and we can get some wins over the next few weeks here and get back in it.”

Washington’s eight runs Sunday exceeded the total of their past four games combined. The offensive outburst came at an opportune time as the Nationals travel back to Washington, D.C., to host a three-game series against the Dodgers, who hold the lowest team ERA in baseball.

“It obviously gives us confidence,” said César Hernández. “You feel good, you’re going home and then you have your fans behind you. … Hopefully, we head home and we continue doing this.”