Washington Nationals: 4 Adjustments They Must Make in the Second Half

The Washington Nationals are 53-37 and leading the NL East by 3.5 games, but they still have some holes they need to patch up.

Washington has lost a few tight games and blown some leads lately, although they are still 4-3 in the second half of the season. The Nats were blown out by the Mets to finish out a three-game series in which they stole two of the three games.

And how did they win them? On a walk-off and a couple of key hits. Oh, and a little luck may have been involved.

It's safe to say the Nationals aren't perfect, although they are pretty close to it. Washington is stacked with young talent, and manager Davey Johnson knows that whoever he puts on the field is capable to perform because the team is very well-rounded.

However, the Nats will still need to make some adjustments.

Jesus Flores Needs to Move Back into a Utility Role

I've seen a lot of Jesus Flores lately, and what I've seen has not been pretty.

Flores has struck out a lot recently, and he now has a 21.8 percent strikeout rate. The catcher is hitting .228 with a miserable .266 on-base percentage, thanks to his inability to lay off of bad pitches. Flores has five strikeouts in his last five games and 13 strikeouts in his last 15 games.

Oh, and he hasn't done a great job calling pitches behind the plate.

Gio Gonzalez got the start on Thursday, and he was looking to add to his win total, which was tied for the league lead before the game. However, Gonzalez allowed six runs in 3.1 innings, and his ERA skyrocketed from 2.93 to 3.32.

But it wasn't all Gonzalez's fault. Believe it or not, Flores played a huge role in Gonzalez's failure.

Flores calls the pitches, because he is the catcher. He called a lot of pitches close to the very middle of the plate, giving Gonzalez very little margin for error. On David Wright's first home run, Flores called a pitch that was right down the middle. Wright turned on the pitch every hitter dreams of getting, and he hit it out.

The same happened with Ike Davis' home run. The count was 1-2, so Flores could have easily called a curveball or a changeup in the dirt. Instead, Flores called a belt-high changeup on the outside corner, which left Gonzalez little margin for error (again). Davis, who had whiffed at a pitch by Gonzalez just two pitches earlier, hit it out of the park.

When Wright came up again, Flores called for a belt-high fastball on the outer half of the plate, like he hadn't learned anything from watching Wright crush one in the first inning. Craig Stammen had very little margin for error, and his pitch went just a little bit too far inside. Wright, arguably the hottest hitter in baseball, hit a home run to right field.

Washington has Sandy Leon on their team (and Jhonathon Solano on the DL). Leon got a hit in his return from the 60-day DL, and he should see some playing time soon. The playing time will probably be divided equally, but Flores definitely shouldn't get the majority of the starts. If both struggle, the Nationals do have a backup plan (see slide four).

Drew Storen Needs to Close

This isn't really an adjustment, since Drew Storen just came back from the 60-day DL.

However, Tyler Clippard is struggling, and the Nationals can't afford to have their closer struggling. Clippard allowed a three-run home run to Jordany Valdespin on Tuesday, and he blew the save then. On Wednesday, he allowed two solo homers but recovered to record the save. 

Clippard's ERA has gone from 1.83 to 2.83 in just two games. He has struggled in his last three outings and allowed a hit in each of his last six appearances. However, Storen is 48-for-55 on save opportunities, and he looked really good in his return from the DL.

Storen was throwing near the mid-90s, and he was hitting his spots. Storen got Wright and Kirk Nieuwenhuis out by hitting the corners effectively and forcing both to ground out. Jason Bay hit a pitch by Storen deep into center field, but Roger Bernadina retired the fly ball for the third out.

The hard-throwing reliever has an entire season of closing experience under his belt, and he knows how to finish off games. Storen does a nice job of throwing tempting pitches to start an at-bat, and a lot of the time, hitters ground out or fly out on the first pitch. If batters don't swing at the first pitch, Storen gets ahead of the count and finishes them off with a strikeout.

If Clippard continues to struggle, expected him to be stripped of the closer role and expect Storen to take over. Storen will probably pitch a lot so he will have valuable experience in a playoff race, and so he will be ready to pitch well in the postseason.

And the only way to do that (in high-pressure situations) is to have Storen close.

Tyler Moore Needs to Get More Playing Time

Tyler Moore hasn't received much playing time, but he has shined when given an opportunity.

Moore is 26-for-84 this year, which gives him a .310 batting average. Moore also has a .376 on-base percentage, which puts him among the team leaders. And, he has five home runs in his limited at-bats.

Even though Moore has done a great job, he has received limited time. Instead of putting Moore in left field, the Nationals have elected to start Roger Bernadina there instead. Usually, Adam LaRoche, who is on a slump, starts ahead of Moore at first base (despite his .256 batting average and 28.2 percent strikeout rate).

Moore may have some problems with striking out (he has a 28.6 percent strikeout rate), but when he does hit the ball, it falls for a hit a lot. He has a .433 BABIP (batting average on balls in play), which is much better than LaRoche's .356 BABIP.

The sample size is small, but Moore has shown potential. He has hit good pitches into the seats, and on Tuesday, he hit a great pitch on the outside corner over the right field wall (which is an opposite-field home run). Moore can hit all pitches, and when he does make contact, fielders need to watch out.

This young first baseman/left fielder will only get better, and he needs playing time to improve. Adam LaRoche is hitting just .256, and it seems like all he can do is hit home runs (he has 16 in 305 at-bats). LaRoche is also past his prime, and Moore has yet to enter his prime years.

If LaRoche continues to slump (he is 4-for-28 in his last six games), expect something to be done. LaRoche is a good player, but Moore has more potential and is more valuable to the team.

Mike Rizzo Needs to Make a Move at the Trade Deadline

The Nationals have already built a great, well-rounded team. However, they should make a move at the trade deadline to patch up a few issues.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, Washington is interested in Cubs' starting pitcher Ryan Dempster and Rockies' catcher Ramon Hernandez. Star pitcher Stephen Strasburg could and probably will be shut down at some point later in the season, and Washington needs a pitching replacement.

Could they go to John Lannan? Sure. But do they really want someone who is 6-8 with a 4.60 ERA in Triple-A to play for them in a heated playoff race? Probably not.

Gio Gonzalez has pitched well this year, and, even though he was rocked on Thursday and didn't show much knowledge of the Mets' hitters (because he didn't question Flores' calls), his terrible performance wasn't entirely his fault (see slide one). Jordan Zimmerman has the NL's fourth-best ERA, and he has been very consistent this year.

And Ross Detwiler? He's also pitched well, and he even has a better ERA than the 12-5 Gonzalez.

But Edwin Jackson and John Lannan would round out the rotation. Jackson is inconsistent, and he isn't someone the Nats would want pitching in a heated playoff race. The same goes for Lannan, and if they do shut down Strasburg, Washington could have some troubles.

They could trade for Dempster or a cheaper pitcher, such as Zack Greinke or Matt Garza. Or, they could try to get an experienced reliever for a playoff run, since Washington's bullpen has been struggling lately. If not, they could trade for an experienced catcher to help Flores and Leon.

I don't think Washington needs to make a major move, even though they could easily pull one off with the farm system they have. Trading for an experienced reliever or catcher would really help the team, because it would take some of the pressure off of the other players at that position. Hernandez would help, since he is a career .264 hitter and he rarely strikes out.