Washington Nationals: 5 to watch in visit to San Francisco

Anthony Rendon

After a rough road trip in Pittsburgh and Atlanta, Rendon bounced back during this recent homestand. In six games against the Mariners and Padres, the third baseman went 8-for-19 with four home runs and nine RBI’s. This included a five RBI game against the Mariners on Tuesday.

Rendon has been one of the team’s best hitters this month. In 24 games, he leads the team in RBI’s (17), is tied for the team lead in home runs with Bryce Harper (six), and is second on the team in batting average (.295),

It is early in the season, but the home/road splits are something to consider especially heading into a nine game road trip. On the road this year, Rendon has just seven RBI’s and a .263 average. Meanwhile, he is hitting .318 at home with seven of his nine home runs.

Heading into today’s game, Rendon has never faced Moore in his career, but he is 9-for-22 with three home runs this year against left-handed pitchers. As for the other two games in the series, the third baseman doesn’t have a good track record. He’s a combined 2-for-13 against Samardzija and Cain (both hits against Samardzija).

When Rendon is clicking on all cylinders, it only adds to the depth of the Nats lineup because he cannot only drive the ball out of the ballpark, but he can also work a walk. His 18 walks are the most on the team and the fifth most in the NL this month.

As long as he keeps making pitchers work, it’s only a matter of time before Rendon’s road splits start to catch up to his home splits.