The Nationals produced a grand total of two extra-base hits during their just-completed three-game series with the Reds. One was Josh Bell’s ninth-inning homer on Tuesday night, one that helped them avoid a shutout but still resulted in a 2-1 loss.
The other was Luis García’s triple Thursday afternoon, and though it had no significant bearing on account of the Nats’ 5-3 win, it did offer a glimpse into the 21-year-old’s ability and growth at the plate.
“A big at-bat in that moment right there,” manager Davey Martinez said afterward during his Zoom session with reporters.
Promoted from Triple-A Rochester earlier in the week to take the roster spot that opened up when Victor Robles landed on the 10-day injured list with a sprained ankle, García made the most of his pinch-hitting opportunity during the only game the Nationals won in the series.
And most impressively, he did it with two strikes against him, a situation he is more and more embracing.
“It’s very important,” García said via interpreter Melissa Strozza. “When you’re down to two strikes, it’s a war. And you’ve got to win it. You’ve got to stay energetic. You’ve got to stay positive. It’s important to come across successfully.”
García isn’t shy about the fact he tries to model himself after Juan Soto, and that extends now to his two-strike approach at the plate. Like Soto, García spreads his legs out to create an extra-wide stance. He gets low, and then trusts his hands to do the work.
“It really hasn’t changed much,” he said. “I can say, since I was very young, it’s just about being patient and waiting for my ball and getting low.”
García put that philosophy to the test in the bottom of the sixth Thursday afternoon, in the completion of Wednesday night’s suspended game. Facing a 2-2 count against Cincinnati reliever Ryan Hendrix, García got a slider on the inside corner. He was able to get his hands inside it enough to make solid contact, then watched the ball travel on a line toward right field.
By the time he finally stopped running, García was at third base with the first triple of his young career.
“My thoughts were just to get to third,” he said. “The whole time I’m thinking: ‘How can I get to third?’ I stayed very positive.”
“He battled,” Martinez said. “He actually got really wide, his stance got really wide. That two-strike approach is what I liked a lot, and he was able to put a breaking ball in play. He got a triple out of it.”
García would wind up getting the chance to start Thursday’s nightcap at second base, giving Josh Harrison a rare day off. The results weren’t nearly as exciting: He went 0-for-3 with a pair of ground balls back to the pitcher and a flyout to center field to end the game.
It was a reminder the 21-year-old still has a long way to refine his game. The Nationals remain high on García for the long term.
He just needs to show it as long as he remains on the big league roster.
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May 28, 2021 at 07:38PM
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