Nats sticking with Taylor in CF; Robles rests
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WASHINGTON -- The good news for the Nationals is that Victor Robles is continuing to progress from the “very, very mild” hamstring strain he sustained while legging out a ground ball during Friday’s Game 2 win in the National League Division Series.
| Game | Date | Result | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Oct. 3 | LAD 6, WSH 0 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Oct. 4 | WSH 4, LAD 2 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 6 | LAD 10, WSH 4 | Watch |
| Gm 4 | Oct. 7 | WSH 6, LAD 1 | Watch |
| Gm 5 | Oct. 9 | WSH 7, LAD 3 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: The conflicting news for the Nationals is that Robles will need another game before he is ready to return to the starting lineup -- an opportunity Washington may or may not get, depending on Monday’s result.
• Dress for October: Shop Nationals postseason gear
Robles once again tried to talk himself into Monday’s lineup, but manager Dave Martinez and the training staff remained hesitant to test the hamstring due to Robles’ rapid and dynamic playstyle. He’s still available to pinch-hit, like he was for Sunday’s Game 3 loss, and he was taking on-field batting practice Monday afternoon.
“He's still a little bit sore,” Martinez said. “He'll be available to pinch-hit, but that's it. He says he could go, but it's just -- talked to the doctors, talked to the trainers -- just don't want him, especially the way he plays, doing anything.”
The club also believes it doesn’t lose much in the way of production by starting Michael A. Taylor, a competent fielder in his own right who is 1-for-5 with a run scored and a hit-by-pitch this postseason.
That production amid a small sample size has added to a somewhat remarkable postseason resume for Taylor -- who owns a .286/.400/.571 career slashline in October -- after he spent the majority of 2019 at the Minor League level when Robles became the everyday center fielder.
“For me with Michael, you really don't lose anything in center field,” Martinez said on Sunday. “And he's had a really good September, so hopefully he continues to swing the bat the way he's been swinging it and go out there and play good defense.”
And who could forget Taylor’s last NLDS Game 4 start? Against the Cubs in 2017, during Stephen Strasburg’s legendary illness game, Taylor hit an eighth-inning grand slam off Wade Davis to blow the game wide open. What’s more, he hit another homer and drove in four runs his next start, the bizarre 9-8 Game 5 loss to the Cubs in D.C.
The Nationals will trudge forward at least one game while missing their breakout center fielder, but they know that Robles’ replacement has enough credentials to make his deployment less of a downgrade and more of a new opportunity for postseason lore.
“Hopefully we get through today,” Martinez said, “and [Robles is] ready to go for the next game.”