WASHINGTON — In a recent interview to promote her new book about the Los Angeles Dodgers, author Molly Knight said the following about that team:
“They may have the best rotation in the game right now, and their lineup looks like that of a spring training split squad game.”
That description may have been intended for the boys in blue, but it seems to fit this year’s Washington Nationals far better. Stacked with a historically powerful stable of starting pitching, Washington owns the best FIP (3.25) and K/BB rate (3.64) in the majors, despite a bullpen largely in flux aside from Drew Storen. Meanwhile, injuries have decimated the lineup to the point where Michael Taylor was leading off, Clint Robinson was hitting cleanup, and Matt den Dekker was batting ninth on Saturday in Baltimore.
In fact, the Nationals have yet to field a fully healthy projected Opening Day lineup in a single game so far this season.
They’ve been kept afloat by Bryce Harper’s breakout season, in which he’s been one of only two MLB players to account for at least 30 percent (26/86) of his team’s home runs thus far. We’ve already covered the historic nature of Harper’s 2015 campaign thus far, but taking it in the context of what it has meant to his team is crucial. The 22-year-old has been worth 6.2 bWAR for a team that is nine games over .500 and is clinging to a 2.0-game division lead.
Coming out of the All-Star break, the club is still missing half its projected Opening Day lineup, but help appears to be on the way. Anthony Rendon, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman are all reportedly working out again, but none have a timetable yet on their return. Denard Span, who was pulled mid-game a week ago Monday with back spasms, visited a specialist for his injury but appears to be on track to return to the lineup when his 15-day stint expires July 22.
That’s a week away, which may not be enough time for each of the other three to execute their minor league rehab stints, but there’s a possibility we could finally see the lineup at full strength for the first time before the end of July. While the Nationals may not need too much more help to break away from a putrid NL East, they’ll likely need to be healthy to get past teams like those Dodgers, who pay their lone visit to Washington beginning Friday night.
