Murphy can’t be stopped

DANIEL Murphy carried over his strong postseason with the 2015 Mets to the 2016 Nationals, there were questions whether it was sustainable. We have an answer now: Yes. He had a 1.018 OPS in the second half entering Tuesday, which actually beats his first half (.985). In fact, Murphy has been slump-proof this season. His lowest OPS in any month was .830 in June. Among players with at least 75 plate appearances in each of the first five months of the season, the only other players to have an OPS of .830 or better in every month are Jose Altuve, Kris Bryant, David Ortiz and Mike Trout.

It is hard to find an area in which Murphy has not helped the Nationals. He has a .958 OPS at home, 1.026 on the road. He has at least 24 starts batting third, fourth and fifth — and his .912 OPS batting cleanup is his lowest. He has a 1.010 OPS vs. starters, .967 vs. relievers.

There is plenty of competition for NL MVP. But Murphy’s consistency and clutch hitting (1.008 OPS with runners in scoring position) are going to make him a factor in the vote.