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Washington Nationals: Anthony Rendon is sizzling at the plate

By Blake Finney

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 19: Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals hits a two-run RBI double in the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park on June 19, 2018 in Washington, DC. Rendon advanced to third base on the play. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 19: Anthony Rendon #6 of the Washington Nationals hits a two-run RBI double in the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park on June 19, 2018 in Washington, DC. Rendon advanced to third base on the play. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Nationals managed to scrape out a series victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Anthony Rendon was the player of the series for the Nationals.

Mercifully, the Washington Nationals actually won a Max Scherzer start for the first time in three attempts. And with a key home run to cap off a big series for himself, Anthony Rendon is sizzling hot at the plate right now.

The third baseman went 5 for 11 during the series, and has now raised his average on the season to .282. This is much closer to where we’re accustomed to seeing him hit, after he had a rough start with injuries.

He looks like he’s going to be slotted third in the lineup moving forward, and it’s an ideal spot for him. With the likes of Adam Eaton and Trea Turner likely to be hitting ahead of him, he’ll see plenty of RBI opportunities.

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Rendon’s career high in RBIs is the 100 he racked up last season. Since returning from the Disabled List, he’s on pace to just miss that mark this year. But he’s in a much more favorable lineup spot this year, so could easily exceed that mark.

A steady presence in the lineup, it’s time for him to quietly go about his business once again. We look forward to seeing the trademark approach and two bag hits continue in this hot stretch.

Man-Child Soto hits game-winner

The Truth is loose people, as Juan Soto has us all speechless right now. He added to his growing legacy with another game-winning, two RBI hit in the eighth inning off of Mychal Givens.

He was the youngest player to hit clean-up since Cesar Cedeno way back in 1970. Yes, 1970. And Davey Martinez told Mark Zuckerman of MASN after the game “He’s got unbelievable poise, no matter what the situation is.” to explain the decision.

His RBI count is now up to 16 in just 28 games, with six long balls as he displays incredibly impressive power. So expect to see him there plenty more times in 2018 until he proves he’s not capable, which is unlikely.

Bryce Harper bounces back in leadoff spot

He had a miserable start to the series, but superstar outfielder Bryce Harper had a nice performance in this one. He went a bizarre 1 for 1, drawing two walks, and hitting sac fly.

The one hit he did get was ripped down the right-field line, past the diving Mark Trumbo. It’s the type of contact we’ve seen numerous times, only for it to be snagged at first, usually by Freddie Freeman.

But he made hard contact for the double and the sac fly, while maintaining a good eye working the walks on 16 pitches. Now if he can string more performances like this together, he might be able to bust out of the season-long slump.

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The Washington Nationals are now getting ready to host the Philadelphia Phillies. It could be a tough series, especially without their ace taking the mound, but more performances like this would sure help this weekend.

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