How much longer before Dusty Baker mixes up Nationals’ cleanup spot?

12:56 AM ET

WASHINGTON — Dusty Baker spent much of his pregame news conference explaining why Ryan Zimmerman was still his cleanup hitter instead of Daniel Murphy. Then he went out and watched Zimmerman fail to clean up (again), while Murphy continued to rake.

On Monday afternoon, a day after Bryce Harper walked six times and Zimmerman left 14 runners on base in the Washington Nationals’ 13-inning loss to the Cubs, Baker was asked about the possibility of swapping the slumping Zimmerman with No. 5 hitter Daniel Murphy, who’s been as hot as anyone in baseball over the first month of the season.

“I think you guys want me to switch it up, so not yet,” Baker said to members of the media prior to Monday’s series opener against the Tigers, which the Nats won, 5-4, thanks to a ninth-inning, pinch-hit homer by Clint Robinson. “If it continues, I’ve thought about it hard and long, but a few days doesn’t merit you switching it up. I mean, if he’d gotten one hit on one of those times, you’d never even ask me this today. Not yet.”

But on Monday, it continued. Big-time, to borrow one of Baker’s catchphrases.

The Nationals’ Daniel Murphy, who is leading the majors with a .398 batting average, could be best utilized in the cleanup spot to protect No. 3 hitter Bryce Harper. Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports

Batting cleanup behind Harper once again, Zimmerman went 0-for-4 on Monday. Four times, he failed to hit the ball out of the infield. Three times, he came up with runners on base. Two times, he batted after Harper had walked. One time, it was an intentional pass. Zero times, Zimmerman did what his job title says …

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