Trea Turner Bunts, Just Gives Up

The Nationals are an underachieving team that is reaching that point in the season when everyone starts to get really pissy about all the underachieving. Over the weekend, Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer got into a dugout tiff after Strasburg got knocked around by the Braves. On Monday night, Trea Turner laid down a bunt and then threw a very small tantrum at home plate instead of running to first:

Someone taking a sympathetic view might say that Turner didn’t run because he thought the ball was foul, but that wouldn’t explain why he decided to drop his bat and helmet at home plate and walk back to the dugout. Turner himself didn’t even reach for that excuse, telling reporters after the game that he needed a moment to gather himself because the pitch came running in on his hands, but that he should have run anyway.

Nats manager Dave Martinez told reporters that he had initially assumed that the ball had hit Turner, but was later informed that Turner had just decided not to run out the play. He added that Turner probably won’t be in the lineup for today’s game:

Everyone on this team seems to be having a really good time playing baseball.