The bats are back for the Washington Nationals

· Yahoo Sports

PHOENIX, AZ - JUNE 05: Luis García Jr. #2 of the Washington Nationals rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run in the first inning during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Friday, June 5, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Julia Jacome/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Maybe the Miami Marlins truly are the kryptonite for this offense. After that Marlins series, fans were starting to get concerned that this was the start of an offensive slide for the Nats. However, those concerns were quickly put to bed last night with the Nats putting up 14 runs on the Diamondbacks.

Back at the end of April, we wrote about how resilient this offense is. Every time they get knocked down, this offense gets up and becomes even stronger. They were punched in the mouth against Miami, and poor Merrill Kelly got to face an angry Nats offense. Luis Garcia Jr. made a statement with a two run homer to start the game, and the electric offense took it from there.

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It was one of those games where everyone was eating. Six Nationals hitters had multi-hit days, including Daylen Lile who really needed a big game. Lile’s chase issues are well documented, but he is a great hitter when he is controlling the zone. He was locked in last night, going 3 for 6 with a homer. Lile has had a slightly underwhelming season, but he is still on pace for 20 homers and nearly 80 RBI’s.

Lile has been a very hot and cold hitter this season, so hopefully this can be the start of one of those heaters. When Lile is locked in, he can truly carry an offense. We saw that at the end of last season and during that Reds series this year. Daylen Lile gets his hits in bunches. When he sees a couple fall, that ball just gets very big for him. Lile is such a natural hitter, so when he is trusting his instincts, he can be unstoppable.

When this lineup came out, a lot of Nats fans were scratching their heads. They wondered how the Nats could be a consistent offensive threat with Nasim Nunez, Jorbit Vivas, Jose Tena and Drew Millas all in the lineup. However, this offense is at its best when fans are beginning to doubt them. Of course this is the lineup that puts up 14 runs. Those bats at the bottom of the order were a big part of the outburst as well. 

Vivas had a particularly nice game. His struggles with runners in scoring position have been well documented this season. Before last night, he was 0 for 25 in those situations. Vivas got that monkey off his back with two hits with runners in scoring position, including a clutch double which drove in two runs.

There were a lot of run-producing bats in the lineup last night, but none of them drove in more than Luis Garcia. The Nats first baseman hit two home runs, including a grand slam which truly made this game a rout. 

Garcia is an interesting player to talk about. He has so many flaws that really stick out and limit his game. However, his combination of bat to ball skills and power still make him intriguing. For the season, Garcia is hitting .263 with 7 homers, 37 RBI’s and a .745 OPS. His .454 slugging percentage is also a career high. 

There is no question that Garcia has hitting ability. However, his poor approach and lack of defensive value make him a bit problematic. Personally, I think the Nats should cash in on Garcia at the deadline and give Abimelec Ortiz those reps down the stretch. It is no guarantee that Ortiz can match the offensive production that Garcia gives this team though. We are deep into his career now, and I am still not quite sure if Luis Garcia Jr. is good or not.

One player who I know is good is James Wood. After an uncharacteristically poor series against the Marlins, Wood got back on track last night. As he often does, Wood hit a home run that just left me shaking my head. On a ball up by his neck, he absolutely drilled a long home run off of Merrill Kelly. His OPS for the season is up to .944, and I still think the 23 year old has plenty of untapped offensive upside.

Wood and CJ Abrams are the engines of this offense. We saw the offense sputter when those two were not performing against the Marlins. Last night, both Wood and Abrams had two hits and homered. They are such an elite duo, and both deserve to start the All-Star game.

For the next two games, the Nats are going to have to solve one of their few offensive problems. It is not as bad as last year, but the Nationals offense still struggles a bit during day games. We wrote about this the other day, and it remains quite a strange problem.

They will have a chance to up those numbers this afternoon in the desert. Personally, I do not think the day game issues are a massive worry. The offense is still so good that I trust Matt Borgschulte’s process. However, it will be something for us to monitor these next couple days.

Whenever we doubt this offense, they always show up. Last night was a big game for the Nats, who had fallen below .500. They made a statement that this team is not going anywhere. Now, they have a chance to get back above .500 and flex their muscles on the west coast.

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