Stop & stare: Winker’s slam ignites Nats’ offense

MIAMI -- There’s arguably nothing more iconic in baseball than a good bat flip after a home run. But perhaps even better is the “stop and stare” -- when a hitter pauses before taking a single step toward first base and admires a no-doubter.

Jesse Winker did the latter on Saturday afternoon, when he crushed the Nationals’ first grand slam of the season (and their first since Sept. 20) to right field to secure an 11-4 win over the Marlins at loanDepot park.

“I was just happy,” Winker said. “It was one of those things that -- just happy to barrel up a ball in the air. I’ve been working hard [with hitting coaches Darnell Coles and Chris Johnson] just talking hitting and all that good stuff. And it was just cool in the moment, collectively, to put together a plan of attack and it pay off immediately with a result.”

Winker has had a stellar start to the season. After a down couple of years (he hit .219 in 2022 and .199 while dealing with injuries in ‘23), he entered Saturday’s matchup with a .284/.404/.432 slash line -- a marked improvement thus far. It’s a sign that his hard work is paying off.

Immediately after crossing home plate -- and celebrating with his teammates -- Winker made a beeline to one of the tablets in the dugout to rewatch his at-bat. It’s part of his routine, but it stood out in this moment with all cameras on him.

“I wanted to watch it, just wanted to watch that swing,” Winker said. “I actually watched the first swing as well -- the first curveball [Edward Cabrera] threw me -- I watched that as well; I kind of just watched the whole at-bat, and then, yeah, went back out and played defense.”

Until Winker’s slam, it was looking like another low-scoring game for Washington. The Nats’ first two runs of the game came via heads-up baserunning: Jacob Young scored on a passed ball in the third and Eddie Rosario snuck home in a wacky play at the plate early in the fifth (a play that was upheld after video review, much to the Marlins’ chagrin).

But it was Winker’s slam that changed the vibes for Washington; not only did he bail out Mitchell Parker, who faltered for the first time since his debut on April 15, but Winker also gave the Nats enough of a lead that they could relax a little.

“It was awesome,” said Parker, who allowed one run on six hits and two walks over four innings after struggling with command early. “[He] bailed me out more than just a little bit. It was great.”

“[Winker] put us up top and I think the guys kind of loosened up a little bit and we started swinging the bat,” manager Dave Martinez said. “It’s nice when you can put up a four-spot and take the lead like that. They all swung the bat a lot better -- that’s awesome to see. So let’s keep it going.”

The Nationals have been waiting for an offensive breakout after being held to a combined seven runs over their previous four games. Winker’s slam -- his first since Aug. 7, 2022, vs. the Angels, and the fourth of his career -- was the perfect catalyst for the rest of the offense.

Keibert Ruiz crushed a leadoff homer -- his first hit since returning from the IL -- in the seventh, which Nick Senzel followed with a two-out homer of his own. It was Senzel’s first game back from a brief bout of illness, but he picked up right where he left off; he now has three homers in his past four games. The offensive breakout highlighted the Nats’ biggest talent: Washington finds its best success when combining small ball with power swings.

While his grand slam was certainly the highlight of the game for the Nationals, for Winker, he’s just happy to contribute -- something he explained in perhaps the most baseball player way possible.

“That’s what it’s about; it’s about doing whatever you can to help the team win the game,” Winker said. “That’s why you come to the field. I think, over the course of 162 games, if you can just remember, like, win the game you’re in. Tomorrow, try to do the same when you get there. Any time you can help the baseball team win a game, it’s like I said -- it’s why you wake up every morning. So it was cool.”