Sports Talk: Nats Hitting Struggles 3-Fold

FELIPE LOPEZ SWEARS he's not a .240 hitter.

Austin Kearns admits that far too often he's struggled in critical situations. And Ryan Zimmerman is well behind the pace he set in his outstanding rookie season.

It all adds up to a trifecta of disappointment that bears its share of blame for the fact that the Nationals entered the All-Star break tied for the worst record in the NL.

Lopez (batting .242), Kearns (.250) and Zimmerman (.253) had been counted on to be the heart of Washington's offense this season, but instead it's Dmitri Young (.339, 8 HR, 43 RBI) who is representing the team at Tuesday's All-Star game.

And it was the offense that was supposed to carry the team when the short-on-talent rotation inevitably struggled. But instead, the heart of the order has needed a pacemaker, and manager Manny Acta has been forced to adapt.

Lopez was first moved from the leadoff spot to the No. 2 hole and then back to the seventh or eighth positions in the order. Kearns began the season as the cleanup hitter and now more often hits fifth or sixth.

Zimmerman, who the club hoped would be developing into a star this season, has remained in the No. 3 spot, but his batting average is 34 points lower than at the All-Star break last season. He also has 14 fewer runs batted in.

"I just think that it's going to come," Acta said. "Some of them just haven't produced the way we've expected of them. They'd be the first ones to tell you. But they're working hard at it, and hopefully the second half will be better for us."

In fact, all three entered the break on a positive note.

Zimmerman has raised his average 12 points since June 29 and he hit the go-ahead home run in Sunday's victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. He has hits in eight of his last nine games.

Like Zimmerman, Lopez also has hits in eight of nine games and also homered in Sunday's victory.

Kearns, who had only four RBI in the entire month of June, already has four in eight July games. His two-run double on Saturday was pivotal in the Nationals' victory.

Those are modest accomplishments to dwell on, but with four days off to reflect on the first half and focus on the second half, it's the best the trio can muster.

"We don't stress; we don't worry," Zimmerman said. "Nothing ever bothers us. We don't think about it if we're having problems. We just go out there and try to score."

Written by Express contributor Derek Turner
Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post