Washington Nationals: 5 storylines to watch against reeling Mets

Can Rendon bounce back against Mets?

With the Washington Nationals missing many of their regulars, it has taken its toll on the lineup. The team has scored 77 runs in August, which is the fewest of any team in the National League.

One player who has been hurt by all the injuries is third baseman Anthony Rendon. This month, he is hitting .224 with one home run and nine RBI’s in 64 at-bats. His 14 strikeouts are tied for third most on the team and Rendon isn’t known for striking out. With that being said, he did drive in the game winning run and had two doubles last night.

Throughout this season, Rendon has been one of the more valuable players on the Washington Nationals. His defense hasn’t missed a beat, which is a good sign. However, if the Nats are going to accomplish their goals, they need Rendon to heat up again in the lineup.

This weekend could be the perfect thing that gets Rendon going again. He has been excellent against the Mets this year. He is 15-for-41 (.366) against the Mets with four home runs and 15 RBI’s. Of course, ten of those RBI’s came on April 30, but those are very good numbers.

In terms of the two pitchers that are confirmed for this series right now, Rendon has bad numbers against deGrom (0-for-16, five strikeouts), but he is 3-for-7 with two doubles and two RBI’s against Gsellman.

There’s no need to panic about Rendon’s struggles yet, but it is something to keep an eye on when you consider that he hit .392 last month.