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MILWAUKEE – There aren’t a lot of positives to take away from an 8-3 drubbing like the one the Nationals suffered at the hands of the Brewers last night. But of the few, the biggest one perhaps was the contributions the Nats got from their No. 9 hitter and backup catcher.
With primary backstop Keibert Ruiz back on the seven-day concussion injured list, Riley Adams has been thrust back into the starting catcher’s role. And while most of the Nats' lineup struggled against Brewers opener DL Hall and Quinn Priester on Friday night, Adams actually reached base in each of his first three plate appearances, finishing 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two of the Nats’ three runs scored at the bottom of the lineup.
“It was big,” said interim manager Miguel Cairo. “It was nice to see him get a couple (of hits). A homer and a double and a really good walk, too. So it was nice to see him come back. You know, he's going to be catching, so he's going to be helping us.”
Adams drew a five-pitch walk – just his fourth of the year – against Hall leading off the third inning. He then hustled to score all the way around from first on CJ Abrams’ triple to give the Nats an early 1-0 lead.
After working a full count against Priester in the fifth, he smoked a ball 102 mph off the bat for just his fourth double of the year.
And when he stepped up to face the Milwaukee right-hander for a second time in the seventh, he launched a low-and-away slider 102 mph again, this one landing 397 feet away over the left field wall for just his fourth homer.
Fours seemed to be the name of Adams’ game.
“It felt good trying to help the team in that way," he said. "But ultimately, we came up short.”
True, there are few good feelings following a team’s sixth loss in their last seven games. But with Adams and Drew Millas seeing more playing time while Ruiz remains sidelined, there has to be some thought that a big night at the plate can start some momentum.
“I think it's just trying to help the team,” Adams said. “Unfortunately, Keibert being on the IL means that Mill and I have to step up. We're trying to build on that and we're both working together. Working with (former bullpen coach and interim bench coach) Henry (Blanco), working with (pitching coach Jim) Hickey and Doo (pitching strategist Sean Doolittle) and stuff just to try to pick up the pick up the baton.”
Due to Ruiz’s injuries, Adams is already approaching the total number of games he played in 2024. Unfortunately, this year’s results so far haven’t matched last year’s, which were subpar to begin with.
Adams hit .224 with a .629 OPS in 130 plate appearances over 41 games last year. Through 104 plate appearances over 32 games so far in this first half, he’s hitting just .152 with a .505 OPS.
But other numbers have gone up with his more frequent playing time. He’s already surpassed his RBI total from last year with 11, including last night’s home run. And he’s already matched his extra-base hits from 2024 with four doubles and four homers.
Those numbers will naturally increase the more he plays. But if he can get his peripherals up as well while Ruiz is out, that will give some desperately needed added production to the bottom of the Nats lineup.
“I think it's been positive,” Adams said of the first half of the season. “I think there's certainly things that we can build on. Certain things that we're all trying to work on. But when I look at that, it starts with me, and there's a lot of things I can do better, both at the plate and behind the plate. So there's a lot of work that I need to work on, and I'm confident that I'll be able to turn it around and get after and be ready for the second half.”
