Abrams' leadoff HR a key breakthrough amid 2nd-half woes

PITTSBURGH -- When Nationals manager Dave Martinez sat CJ Abrams for a second consecutive game in Thursday’s series opener against the Pirates, he felt like his young shortstop needed more time as he tried to get going with the bat.

Abrams’ second half to that point had been a tough go. He hit .173 in 150 at-bats. His on-base percentage dropped more than 100 points (.343 to .233). With only five doubles and three homers, Abrams’ OPS plummeted to .500 over that 39-game stretch to begin the second half.

Martinez and his staff saw things they could work on with Abrams, so he spent more time in the cage working on his bat angle, his setup and his motion. The practice paid off with a crushed homer to lead off the Nationals’ series finale against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park, though Washington fell to Pittsburgh, 7-3.

Martinez laid out the diagnosis of the key thing ailing Abrams’ swing before Thursday’s contest.

“He’s really flying open and his stride is getting really long,” Martinez said. “We’re trying to shorten him up a little bit and get him to hit the ball back up the middle of the field.”

Abrams went 1-for-9 with a single when he started both games of Saturday’s doubleheader. He was still grinding through the tweaks, trying to find the right gear.

When he stepped to the plate against Jared Jones to begin Sunday’s game, it appeared Abrams was headed toward more of the same scuffling. Jones fired two fastballs north of 98 mph that Abrams swung through. In a count in which hitters tend to shorten up and fight off pitches, Abrams battered a middle-cut 0-2 slider for a Statcast-projected 416-foot homer.

“It was big,” Abrams said of the homer. “You’ve just got to believe in yourself when you’re up there at the plate and keep working.”

As important as the distance was the direction. Abrams torched the ball to just right of center, a trend over the past few days in which he’s working to hit toward the middle of the field.

“That was a really great at-bat,” Martinez said. “We’re working really hard to keep him in the middle of the field and keep his legs down a little bit. He has gotten a little bit better.”

Abrams has had moments during his tough stretch offensively when things appeared to be heading in a good direction based on one or two swings. He had two homers in the span of five games to begin August, only to revert back to scuffling through an eight-game stretch with only four hits -- three of which came in one game.

If Abrams’ stride and length begin to consistently look as good as they did on Sunday, the next step is pitch selection. It’s been a battle he’s fought for most of the season, as he ranks in the ninth percentile in chase rate. He didn’t strike out on Sunday, but he popped out on a pitch above the zone and grounded out on a pitch too far inside it.

“He’s just got to stop chasing,” Martinez said. “When he gets a ball where he can really hit it, he seems to be hitting the ball hard. So we’ve got to keep him in the zone.”

It’s going to be a tough task. Abrams admits he’s been in his head, but wouldn’t anyone who is trying to get through a trying time? But to finish out the season strong, he’s going to try to persevere and end 2024 on a good note.

“It’s easier said than done, but it can be done,” Abrams said. “So let’s do it.”