Nationals manager Dave Martinez said he had some decisions to make after he moved Bryce Harper to the leadoff spot and had rookie Juan Soto, 19, bat cleanup for the first time in his big league career Thursday.
The result was a 4-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles as Soto broke a tie with a two-run double in the last of the eighth off reliever Mychal Givens, who fell to 0-4 this year.
The win gave the Nationals a record of 9-1 this season when Harper hits in the leadoff spot.
“You just made up my mind,” said Martinez, with a smile, when told of that statistic.
Harper walked twice, had a sacrifice fly and a double in four trips to the plate. He saw 25 pitches in four at-bats, far above his career average of about four pitches per trip to the plate.
“I was able to see a lot of pitches tonight,” Harper said. “I think I’m pretty positive about myself. I have a great group of guys around me.”
That certainly includes Soto, who began the season at low Single-Hagerstown.
Soto is now hitting .326 with six homers and 16 RBI in his first 92 at-bats in the majors.
“It is very obvious he has a plan,” Nationals closer Sean Doolittle said of Soto. “He is really fun to watch.”
So is starting pitcher Max Scherzer, who did not figure in the decision as he gave up two solo homers in seven innings while fanning nine. He had lost his previous two games and has not lost three games in a row since 2015.
“Max gives us an incredible chance to win,” said Doolittle, who got his 20th save in the ninth.
Scherzer did have a strange moment when he threw a wild pitch in the third inning with Manny Machado at the plate.
Martinez said Scherzer and catcher Pedro Severino got their signals crossed up and the pitcher forgot what to throw during his windup.
Is Martinez surprised by anything Soto does these days?
“I expect him to have a good at-bat. He comes up there with a plan,” Martinez said. “And he did (in the eighth). It worked out well today. I have a lot to think about” with the batting order.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter decided to say with Givens after he pitched the seventh. But he gave up the winning hit to Soto, who was injured most of last year in the minors.
“Mychal’s our most rested guy and we were able to get that nine-hole hitter out there and he only threw, what, eight or nine pitches or so the inning before. But, you know, a lot of people are having trouble with Soto. You know, they have a lot of options over there on the bench, too,” Showalter said.
Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman was impressed by Soto, whose hit drove in Harper and Trea Turner.
“What I’m most not (happy) about is, you know, you’ve got two outs, get to an 0-2 count on Harper, you gotta kind of put him away right there. … They did a really good job of fouling off really good pitches and also taking some really good pitches, too, so they definitely battled,” he said.
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