Lombardozzi becoming the lead story for Nationals

The ball carried toward right field and didn’t stop. It soared over the out-of-town scoreboard at Nationals Park and cleared the relief pitchers sitting in the home bullpen before finally landing with a thud high atop the back wall under the facing of the second deck.

That home run to lead off Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Braves was a rare display of power from Steve Lombardozzi, who has done everything possible to stay on the field during his rookie season with the Nats. He broke spring training as a utility man and suddenly has turned into an intriguing candidate to bat leadoff for a team in desperate need of someone who can do exactly that.

It has been only 40 games, and there’s a long way to go before anyone is comfortable dubbing Lombardozzi the answer to a problem that has long vexed Washington. But he is hitting .309, and his on-base percentage is .372 with eight walks and just seven strikeouts. Still 37 plate appearances shy of qualifying among the league leaders, Lombardozzi would rank 32nd overall in on-base percentage.

Only fellow rookie Bryce Harper (.380) boasts a higher mark on the team right now. And Harper followed Lombardozzi’s homer with one of his own — a blast that did reach the second deck in right field. The two became the first rookies to lead off a game with back-to-back homers since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“There wasn’t much celebration between mine and his,” Lombardozzi said with a smile after Sunday’s 3-2 loss.

Injuries have provided the chance for more consistent at-bats. With Danny Espinosa still a priority at second base, Lombardozzi’s primary position in the minor leagues and college; Ryan Zimmerman entrenched at third base; and Ian Desmond off to a good start at shortstop, it was hard to see where he fit in. But Lombardozzi started 10 games at third when Zimmerman was on the disabled list last month with a sore shoulder. He has started four more at second base, one a shortstop and — improbably — eight in left field.

In some ways it isn’t fair to him. Lombardozzi caught a ball in medium left in the seventh inning of a game against Miami on May 28 and had no chance to throw out runner Logan Morrison tagging from third base. Morrison isn’t fast, but the arm strength just isn’t there for Lombardozzi. That put the Marlins ahead for good.

But with right fielder Jayson Werth out with a broken wrist, for now outfield is the best spot for Lombardozzi. Harper has established himself as the team’s best hitter. He played left for several weeks until slugger Michael Morse arrived healthy over the weekend. It shows what Washington thinks of Lombardozzi that it put Harper back in center field, gave Morse right field and sent veteran Rick Ankiel to the bench. When Werth is healthy sometime after the All-Star break, the logjam returns. But for the next two months Lombardozzi will get regular playing time, and Washington can evaluate him, Desmond and Espinosa all at once.

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