Sooner and more forcefully than Rizzo could have imagined, injuries have again ravaged the Nationals. Monday brought the latest round of crossed fingers and jangled nerves. Left fielder Bryce Harper, placed on the disabled list Sunday with a thumb sprain, visited a specialist at the Cleveland Clinic to determine the full scope of his injury and how long he will be sidelined.
Harper joined right-handed starter Doug Fister, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, catcher Wilson Ramos and reserve outfielder Scott Hairston on the disabled list. The Nationals also played for a week without Denard Span, who suffered a concussion. Injuries strike every team, but rarely so quickly and in such a concentrated manner.
“It’s not good,” first baseman Adam LaRoche said. “There’s no way around it. Anytime you lose one guy from the lineup, then it’s a little bit of a blow. You lose three kind of middle-of-the-lineup guys, it makes it hard. I can’t remember two years ago, but I know we had some pretty key injuries and guys stepped up. That’s going to have to happen again.”
Rizzo’s response, to himself and his team: Deal with it.
“We felt that we addressed that in the offseason,” Rizzo said. “We never panicked. You haven’t heard me talk about it or use it as an excuse. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. It’s never good when you lose your 3-4-5 hole hitters in Ramos, Zim and Harper. There’s games to be played and there’s games to be won. That’s why we prepare for these things.”
Despite their injuries, the Nationals are still 14-12, the same record as the defending NL champion St. Louis Cardinals took into their game Monday night. But the Nationals already find themselves four games behind the indomitable Atlanta Braves, who at 17-7 own the second-best record in the majors. They have treaded water while the Braves threaten to push them under.
“We haven’t played our best baseball,” Rizzo said. “I see a team that’s starting to clean things up defensively. That was my main concern. We weren’t playing good defense, and we should be playing good defense. I see that getting remedied and being fixed. I think our rotation, since the first cycle, they’re starting to get their footing and feel good about themselves.”
In December, the Nationals signed Nate McLouth to a two-year, $10.75 million deal to be their fourth outfielder. They paid a premium for a backup because both Harper and Jayson Werth had missed significant time in recent seasons, and last year they had no suitable replacement.
“We thought with Nate, who’s been a really good player on a contending team, he can be an everyday guy,” Rizzo said.
Rizzo envisioned a McLouth-Hairston platoon as solid insurance . With Hairston recovering from an oblique strain, Kevin Frandsen and Tyler Moore will help, but McLouth will receive the majority of playing time in left with Harper out.
McLouth started 4 for 34, including his first homer Sunday. McLouth has insisted all month his at-bats have been better than his results. Peripheral numbers suggest McLouth is poised to break out. He has struck out six times and drawn six walks, and he’s seen 4.21 pitches per plate appearance. McLouth has a .111 batting average on balls in play, a sign of rotten luck.
“Hits aren’t falling yet,” McLouth said. “But I’ve felt like I’ve had competitive at-bats. It’s not like I’m going in there rolling over the first pitch or striking out a bunch. … I have felt lost the plate before. I haven’t felt like that.”
At the start of spring, the Nationals acquired Jose Lobaton to back up Ramos, who missed five months with torn knee ligaments in 2012 and two months last season with hamstring tears. Since Ramos broke his hamate bone opening day, Lobaton has hit .267 with a .733 OPS.
“We thought it was imperative to get guy that’s handled pitchers and has played in meaningful games, in the case that Willy gets hurt,” Rizzo said.
At the end of spring, the Nationals signed Frandsen after the Phillies demoted him and he refused the assignment. Frandsen has been versatile and valuable, and any given day he could play left or spell LaRoche against a tough left-handed starter.
“Those are good options to have,” Manager Matt Williams said. “You don’t want to use them, by any stretch. If you have to, you have to. It’s good to have.”
While Harper may miss significant time, the Nationals will soon approach full strength. Monday, Ramos and Hairston headed to extended spring training in Viera, Fla. Ramos planned to play two games in Viera, then head to Class AA Harrisburg for about four rehab games. On Friday, he may catch Fister, who is scheduled to throw five innings in his final start rehabbing from a lat strain.
“It’s frustrating to have any injury,” Fister said Sunday after his first rehab appearance. “And as many as we’ve had, it’s really tough. Guys are playing well dealing with the adversity. As an injured individual, I really have to focus on getting the job done and making sure you’re right so when you get back, there’s not any more hiccups. It’s not something you can hurry back. “
By the Nationals’ next homestand, Ramos could be back behind the plate, Fister could be settling into their rotation and Hairston could be back on the bench. They will not quite be whole – Harper will only be starting his rehab, and Zimmerman will have another couple weeks before his broken thumb heals. But they will be closer, and ready for the next injury to strike.
“Slowly, we’ll get a team that we thought we were going to have in spring training at the same time,” Rizzo said. “When we do that, I think we’ll start playing more consistently and getting on a roll. I haven’t mentioned it’s, because it’s not relevant. Everybody gets them. It’s time to strap it on and win some games. I feel really good about our lineup and pitching staff and our bullpen. With all the things that have happened, I’m satisfied.”
James Wagner contributed to this report.