Nationals Clobber Mets 23-5 Behind Anthony Rendon’s Career Game

The Washington Nationals closed out April with the best record in baseball at 17-8, and one thing is clear: these guys know how to hit the ball. Ryan Zimmerman ended April with a .420 batting average, 11 home runs, and 20 RBIs, all of which led or tied for the lead in the majors. Bryce Harper (.391, 9 homers, 26 RBIs) and Daniel Murphy (.343, 5, 26), also had huge months. As a team, Washington was hitting .295, 23 points better than the next closest team, the Houston Astros, and had scored 170 runs, 29 more than the number two Arizona Diamondbacks.

You can add the name of third baseman Anthony Rendon to the list of big bats. Rendon had gotten off to a poor start and was hitting .226 with no homers and five RBIs in 22 games going into the April 30th game against the New York Mets. Rendon had one of the best game performances ever, going 6 for 6 with three home runs, a double and 10 runs batted in as Washington routed the Mets 23-5.

Last year, Rendon hit .242 with no homers and one RBI in April, but finished the season with 20 homers and a career high 85 RBIs while hitting .270. If Rendon is rounding into midseason form, it will help to offset the loss of center fielder Adam Eaton, who went down with a season ending knee injury over the weekend.