WASHINGTON -- At 22 years old and 178 games into his Major League career, James Wood has a solid outlook on the ebbs and flows of the season.
“It's just baseball; it can't all be rainbows and sunshine all the time,” Wood said on Sunday. “It happens, but you’ve just got to work your way out of it.”
For all of the dazzling offensive displays from Wood in the first half of the season, he had entered All-Star Weekend on a three-game hitless skid with eight strikeouts. Coming out of the break -- in which he made his All-Star Game and Home Run Derby debut -- Wood went 0-for-7 in the first two games of the series against the Padres.
It’s part of the game, he reminded himself. There was plenty of baseball left to play.
“It happens to everybody,” Wood said on Sunday. “It's inevitable. You play 162 games. You're not going to feel the best all the time. So you’ve just got to take them one day at a time and just find ways to help the team win.”
Wood snapped a five-game hitless stretch on Sunday (1-for-4) with a line-drive single. The next evening he returned to form, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, an RBI, two walks and a stolen base in the Nationals’ 10-8 win over the Reds. Wood had not recorded a multi-hit game since July 3.
“I really enjoyed that he was swinging in the strike zone and he was short to the ball,” said interim manager Miguel Cairo. “When you stay short to the ball, you’re going to see the ball a little longer, you’re going to recognize the pitch better, you’re going to make better decisions. And today, he made really good decisions.”
Wood’s 112.3 mph double in the first inning, which drove in CJ Abrams from first base, was his first RBI dating back to July 9. He followed that up with a 115.9 mph double in the fourth inning, good for his fourth-highest exit velocity on a hit this season.
Wood reached the 162 career-game milestone on June 28. That is ample time for opponents to study and make adjustments on the lefty power hitter. Wood is prepared for that -- even before he completes his first full season in the Majors.
“They're all big leaguers … in every other locker room we're playing against,” Wood said. “They're professionals at what they do. They make good pitches, so I’ve just got to be a little bit better sometimes.”
Wood has faced 24 opposing teams at this point in regular season games. Veteran Josh Bell notices him being ready to counter their strategizing.
“James has looked great all season. I know maybe he had a rough 12 or 20 at-bats, but that’s baseball,” Bell said. “Guys are going to circle his name in the lineup for the rest of his career, basically, and try not to let him win the game for us. He’s got to continue to play that chess match. Hopefully when they do come in the zone, he’ll attack them and he’ll continue to take walks as they allow him to get on first.”
Bell also has seen how Wood challenges himself. It’s not just about the opposing pitcher – Wood is cognizant of his own decision-making in the at-bats.
“It’s constant conversation,” Bell said. “I feel like after the last series, he was like, ‘Dude, I could have walked six times this last series. I’m just getting myself out.’ He’s very cerebral. He’s very smart. I wish I had that at 22. He’s got a great career ahead.”
As for those rainbows and sunshine Wood noted, well, that vibe returned to Nationals Park for him on Monday.
“Yeah, a little more than it has been,” Wood said with a laugh.