NATIONALS NOTEBOOK
Wilkerson Fighting A Slump
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Wednesday, May 4, 2005
LOS ANGELES, May 3 Brad Wilkerson may have been the Washington Nationals' best player in April, but he entered Tuesday night's game in an 0-for-19 slide that dropped his average from .360 to .295.
"He's moving around a little up there," Manager Frank Robinson said. "He's stretching the [strike] zone, where before, he was making the pitcher come to him."
Wilkerson said he has been concentrating too much on going to the opposite field, which has the effect of slowing his bat through the strike zone. He and hitting coach Tom McCraw looked at videotape of his poor at-bats late after Monday's game.
"It's a mechanical flaw," Wilkerson said.
McCraw said Wilkerson isn't waiting long enough for the pitch to come into the strike zone, thus making it impossible to go to the opposite field.
Late-Inning Production
The Nationals scored all their runs in Monday's 6-2 victory over the Dodgers in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, continuing a trend. Compare the Nationals' numbers: .247 average, .306 on-base percentage, .394 slugging percentage in the first six innings; .317 average, .384 on-base percentage and .523 slugging percentage thereafter. Given the state of the bullpen which has three members on the disabled list the team has stayed afloat because of the rotation. Entering Tuesday, the starters had allowed three runs or fewer in six straight games, putting the Nationals in a tie with the Braves and White Sox for the most quality starts in the majors (17).
