On Tuesday, Washington Nationals manager Davey Martinez took a different approach when crafting his lineup. Rather than slotting in Bryce Harper in the third spot, as Martinez had done in each of the season's first 29 games, Martinez moved up Harper to the leadoff slot.

Martinez's reasoning was simple: Harper had been scuffling, hitting .143/.415/.143 (that's 17 walks, including six intentional, in 53 plate appearances) over his previous 12 games. By batting Harper first, Martinez was lifting a play from his mentor Joe Maddon's book. Here's what Martinez hoped the move would accomplish, per ESPN:

"I think this is one way to hopefully get him to relax a little bit," said Martinez of Harper. "Go back and have some fun and see some pitches. When you get your pitch, just don't miss it."

Sure enough, Harper responded in kind, homering and reaching base twice as part of a blowout win against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Martinez stuck with Harper batting first on Wednesday, and the results were even better: another home run as part of a three-hit night, as well as stolen base No. 4 on the season. And yes, the Nationals again beat the Pirates.

To state the obvious: Harper would've gotten going had he been batting third, fourth, or eighth. But if the move to leadoff helped expedite the process -- if only a little -- then kudos to Martinez for taking an unconventional approach to busting a slump.

Lord knows the Nationals could use a hot Harper. Washington had gotten off to a poor start this season, a reality owed in part due to injuries to Daniel Murphy, Adam Eaton, and Anthony Rendon. Add in some slumping mainstays, and the Nationals need Harper hitting in order to work their way back into the National League East race.

With Wednesday's win marking their fourth consecutive, the Nationals seem to be doing just that. The Nationals will try to go for the four-game sweep and a fifth consecutive win on Thursday, and if they secure it they'll be back at .500 for the first time since April 20th. 

Expect Harper to lead off once again.