After today’s loss to the Orioles, I could focus on the negatives, but I do not think that is the story of this weekend. Even though the Nats could not pull off the sweep, it was still a very successful weekend in the nation’s capital. The Nats did something they have not done in a long time, show their fanbase a good time.
The games on Friday and Saturday were so fun to attend. It has been a long time since Nationals Park has been buzzing like this for a game that was not the home opener. On the rare occasions where Nats Park does have energy, the team often let the fans down. However, this weekend felt different. They were able to send the fans home happy.
After yesterday’s win, manager Blake Butera thanked the fans for their support. It was clear that it meant a lot to this group to play in front of a packed house. The fact they were able to perform made it mean even more. There are young kids out there that have never seen a good Nats team. While this group is not there yet, they are showing signs of life, which I love to see.
In game one of the series, the Nats showed their grit. Zack Littell and Andrew Alvarez kept the O’s off the board for the first 8 innings. Daylen Lile carried the load offensively with a double and a decisive two-run homer. While the 9th inning got very dicey, the boys were able to lock it down in the end. Getting that game was so big for the group, especially now that we know the Nats dropped the last game of the series.
The Nats showed their offensive firepower in game two of the series. They lead the league in runs, and showed why with an offensive explosion. After going ahead 4-0 early in the game, they wasted some opportunities. It looked like that would come back to bite them when the O’s made it a 4-3 game in the top of the 7th.
However, the Nats went on a rampage in the bottom of the 7th, scoring 7 runs and blowing the game open. They showed a new found depth in the lineup. Keibert Ruiz and Jacob Young have had their struggles offensively this year, but both are red hot at the moment. Those two were the biggest sparks in that 7 run inning.
This whole series was massive for Keibert Ruiz in particular. Ruiz had 3 hits and 5 RBI’s yesterday, and got a double and a walk today. It must have felt so good for Keibert to hear the roar of the crowd when he hit that 3-run home run yesterday. It has been far from smooth sailing for Ruiz, but he is showing real signs of life.
The whole offense is just operating at a very high level as a collective. Sure, there are times where they leave too many runners in scoring position, but it is baseball, that stuff happens. However, they come through more often than not. Matt Borgschulte has this offense operating at a level I did not believe was possible.
Another thing I loved about this series was how much emotion this team showed. That has been a theme in recent weeks, with players like Richard Lovelady and Daylen Lile really expressing themselves. Lovelady showed his signature emotion when he struck out Adley Rutschman to end game one of the series.
Sure, this team is probably not going to make the playoffs, but they are making fans feel something. After last year’s disastrous squad, that is fun to say. At times last season, it just did not seem like the group was having any fun. You can accuse this Nats team of a lot of things, but you cannot say they aren’t playing the game with joy.
It is a team that you can connect with and enjoy. Sure, they can infuriate you with bad pitching and sloppy mistakes in the field. However, the ride is pretty fun most of the time. The Nats finally seem to be building towards something. They still have a long way to go, but they are heading in the right direction.