Washington Nationals: Howie Kendrick clocks cardboard cutout with home run

The cardboard cutout fans atop the Green Monster better learn how to dodge long balls when Howie Kendrick is in town.

First off, where have we seen that silky smooth home run swing before? Whether he is hitting grand slams or cracking go-ahead home runs on the biggest stage baseball has to offer, we have fallen in love with Howie Kendrick.

He was back at it in the series opener against the Boston Red Sox. This time his home run left a sore shoulder on a fan.

We have gotten used to the piped in crowd noise. We have come to accept the empty stands. We may never get used to cardboard cutouts taking the place of real fans and we are in awe of the dressed up mannequins at home games in San Diego.

Having fans fight over souvenirs is a staple in the game, though we are not sure when we will get this novel baseball practice again. For the time being we have target practice on cardboard cutouts.

Howie Kendrick did his best in his second at-bat Friday night.

His third inning home run capped a five run stanza for the Nationals and also tagged a cardboard cutout in the shoulder, whom was sitting in the second row in the bleachers on the Green Monster.

One thing is for sure, a healthy Howie means good things for the Washington Nationals. Entering the game Friday night he was carrying an average over .300. Injuries in the early going limited his playing time, but not his production. Now that the Nationals find themselves six games under .500 and in last place of the National League East, there is some question on whether the Nats will try to move him ahead of the August 31st trade deadline.

As long as Howie Kendrick continues to play for the Nationals, he’ll provide entertainment. Even if it comes at the expense of cardboard cutouts.