About two weeks in the past, I wrote that Luis Garcia Jr. was the missing piece on the group that was going to push the Washington Nationals to the subsequent degree.
Well, I used to be proper and unsuitable.
I used to be proper as a result of since that time, Garcia has been completely raking. Over his final 15 video games, the Nats first baseman has extra dwelling runs than strikeouts (10-7). He is slugging 1.083 whereas driving in 19 runs over that span. He’s been much more productive over his final 7 video games, clubbing 5 homers with 14 RBIs and simply 2 Ks.
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Garcia is now three RBIs away from the National League lead with 64, and he has surpassed his All-Star beginning shortstop teammate CJ Abrams for second on the group in dwelling runs with 19 regardless that he has 43 fewer at-bats.
The final time a Nats hitter was this sizzling, Kyle Schwarber belted 16 dwelling runs over an 18-game span in June 2021.
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Luis Garcia Jr. made his debut with the group a yr earlier than the summer season of Schwarber.
He is the longest-tenured National, having signed with the group as a young person out of the Dominican Republic. Now the group is reaping the advantages of their persistence with a participant who has modified defensive positions a number of instances and who, at instances, has regarded misplaced on the plate.
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But these days appear to be a distant reminiscence for Garcia, who has regarded like among the best hitters on the planet over the previous couple of weeks.
Eventually, he’ll come again all the way down to earth; each hitter does. But for now, the Nats are driving the Garcia prepare.
But I stated that I used to be proper and unsuitable about Garcia.
While he has undoubtedly stepped up his sport, the Nationals haven’t.
Nationals go chilly as Garcia runs sizzling
When I wrote the Garcia piece, the group was .500 at 41-41. Two weeks later, the group is only one sport above .500 after dropping two of three in opposition to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Nats are 4-6 within the final 10 video games and are struggling to maintain tempo with the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies, who’re slowly chipping away on the Atlanta Braves‘ division lead.
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The solely group enjoying worse within the division is the hapless Mets.
The MLB All-Star break is in a single week, and the Nats welcome the Houston Astros and New York Yankees into city forward of the break.
These subsequent couple of collection could possibly be make-or-break for the younger Nats heading into the commerce deadline.
Luis Garcia’s offensive surge has been enjoyable to look at, but when the group can’t begin stringing collectively some collection wins once more, then it might all be for naught.
If the Nats are sellers, Garcia could possibly be an enormous piece for a contending group on the lookout for a better-than-average lefty bat. But if the Nats are patrons, Garcia may be the lacking piece in what has been considered one of MLB’s sneaky greatest lineups.
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It’s time for the group to cease losing Garcia’s brilliance and construct off of his momentum.
Related: Washington Nationals: Who Needs to Step Up in the Second Half?
This story was initially printed by Lindys Sports on Jul 7, 2026, the place it first appeared within the MLB part. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.