Washington Nationals centerfielder Victor Robles may be a walking web gem in the outfield, however, his struggles at the plate and running the bases have forced manager Davey Martinez to scratch his head throughout the years. Sunday was no different. Robles gaffed a sacrifice bunt in the eighth inning of the Nationals’ 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Following a lead-off single by CJ Abrams in the fifth inning, Robles laid down a bunt that plunked fair in front of the plate. Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers picked the ball up and threw out Abrams at second. Robles hesitated out of the batter’s box, allowing the Twins to complete the 2-6-3 double play. The Nats trailed 2-1 at the time.
After the game, Robles told the media through his interpreter, he “assumed it was a foul ball.”
Martinez responded later that Robles could not assume it was foul, and run.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve got to tell him, he’s not the umpire,” Martinez said, per Mark Zuckerman of MASN. “He’s got to run hard to first base.”
The next batter, Alex Call, singled to get on. Call, however, got picked off at first, ending the inning scoreless despite two singles, laminated by Robles’ gaffe.
Blunders like Sunday overshadow how well Robles has been at the plate this season Through 20 games, he is hitting .290 with a .742 OPS. But this isn’t the first time, Robles’ baserunning is the topic of discussion.
Robles’ decision-making running the bases has been a sore topic for Martinez in the past. The Nats skipper is on the record he has talked to him before. It’s to the point that the gaffes are louder than flashed improvement at the plate of Victor Robles.
